Chicago Bulls ban Bobby Portis eight games for breaking teammate’s jaw in practice

Bulls executive vice-president John Paxson, who announced the ban, also said Mirotic, of Spanish and Montenegro citizenship, will miss four to six weeks after suffering upper jaw fractures and a concussion in Tuesday’s altercation.

“Both players owned responsibility in the incident itself but only one player threw a punch,” Paxson said. “And that punch connected. For us, that is inexcusable. It’s not who we are. It disappoints us.”

Mirotic’s concussion symptoms must subside before his facial injuries can be addressed, Paxson said.

Portis begins serving the ban on Thursday when the Bulls play their season opener at Toronto. While unable to play, Portis will be able to continue practising with the team.

“Bobby Portis is not a bad person,” Paxson said. “He’s a good kid. He’s a competitive kid. But in this instance, he made a mistake. And as we all know when you make mistakes, you have to suffer the consequences.”