© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
This 2019 Warriors team has been a walking headline all season long.
Some of the major storylines surrounding the team have had little to do with their actual play on the court. This week’s bizarre suspension of Warriors center Jordan Bell is a prime example.
After speculation online over the charges made to assistant coach Mike Brown’s hotel room bill, Bell broke his silence in an exclusive interview with Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area.
When asked how the past few days have been for him, Bell said:
“Hectic learning experience and kind of funny at the same time. You see the power of the Internet, social media, all the stupid stuff they put out there. People making assumptions and things like that with the situation.”
Bell cleared up his side of the story by revealing what his intentions were.
“I made an error of judgment and I thought I was doing something funny, and it wasn’t. But I apologized to the individuals involved, and I hope to continue to move forward from this mistake.”
After the news broke, there was plenty of speculation over what exactly Bell charged to Brown’s hotel room. Twitter had fun with some of the rumors, but Bell himself wanted to clear things up once and for all.
“I don’t want to give anybody credit for making something stupid like that, but I thought it was funny. People thought it was pornography and all that. I was more so embarrassed (of the allegations) because of my family. I know my family talks a lot about me to their friends and are proud of me.”
After his one-game suspension, Bell is not concerned over his relationship with the team.
“I think we’re all good. I think everybody knows it was something I thought would be funny, as a joke that turned out not to be the way someone else took it, as a joke. So I have to be respectful of people’s space, and even though I think something’s funny, it might not be funny to them. Just to chill out.”
Bell is in a contract year, and the Warriors will need to make a decision this summer whether or not they want to keep him around. After this latest incident, Bell is focused on the bigger picture and is not worried about it affecting his chances of re-signing with the team.
“No, I’m not really that concerned. We have a championship to win. That’s where my focus is now. I haven’t had to deal with contract stuff yet, so I’m going to try to enjoy that as much as possible until that time comes. I don’t think this off-the-court incident should affect on the court, as far as my play. I think I’ve been figuring things out. People have been helping me get through this hump.”