MOSCOW, January 29 (R-Sport) – US basketball player Luke Babbitt has left his current team, BC Nizhny Novgorod, and returned to the United States without permission, the Russian club said Wednesday.
Nizhny Novgorod management said they received a transfer request for the former Portland Trail Blazers forward from a team in North America’s National Basketball Association, but refused it, and then the 24-year-old returned to the US without permission.
“He should understand that without a letter of clearance from our club, he won’t be allowed to play anywhere, including the NBA,” the Russian team’s general manager Sergei Panov said.
“Now our main task is to defend our club's rights in superior authorities, so that the players realize that this is a serious organization we have here, where behavior like this is not permitted.”
Babbitt joined Nizhny Novgorod in August on a one-year deal, averaging 13.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in nine games in the Eurocup.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward spent three seasons with the Blazers, making 126 NBA appearances.
