“I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved,” he admitted, citing the struggles he faced due to an elbow injury. But rules are rules, and the NBA enforced serious consequences. Not only was Portis suspended, but he also lost roughly $2.9 million in salary.

While this may seem like a major penalty, it’s not unusual in the NBA—most suspensions there are tied to violations of conduct or substance policies and typically last for a fixed number of games. However, that’s not usually the case in the WNBA. In contrast, WNBA suspensions often stem from very different reasons—players getting injured, fulfilling overseas commitments, or sitting out for personal matters. These suspensions aren’t necessarily disciplinary in nature and can sometimes cover an entire season.

So, if you think you know everything about how suspensions work in the W, you might not!

There are two types of suspension at W

In the WNBA, a suspension can refer to two distinct situations. First, there’s disciplinary suspension, similar to what happens in the NBA. This type of suspension is imposed when a player violates league rules or team policies, especially due to on-court misconduct, off-court behavior, or actions deemed detrimental to the team. For instance, in July 2021, Chennedy Carter was suspended indefinitely by the Atlanta Dream for “conduct detrimental to the team” following an altercation with a teammate.

Then, there’s the contractual suspension. This is basically a procedural designation used when a player is temporarily unavailable due to reasons such as injuries sustained outside of WNBA play, personal decisions, or other commitments. These players often do not count against the team’s active roster or salary cap, but they remain under contract.

For example, Nika Mühl was placed on the suspended list for the entire 2025 season after suffering an ACL tear while playing overseas. Then there’s Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who is listed as out indefinitely due to pregnancy/childbirth, according to the WNBA website.

But even within this category, players might not necessarily be exempt from playing the whole season—temporary suspension is different from a full-season suspension.

While a temporary suspension means the player’s salary stays on the cap and their roster spot is kept vacant (allowing for activation upon return), a full-season suspension means the player cannot play for the entire year. In such cases, the salary disappears from the cap, and the roster spot is also freed up.

So now, you can guess what type of suspension Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is under—since she’s out for the entire 2025 season with the Liberty. After undergoing surgery in March, she’s expected to miss a minimum of five months this season. And there’s no doubt her presence on the floor will be sorely missed.

I mean, why not? The 31-year-old is a former All-Star and has played in New York for the past four seasons. Even last year, she was impressive—despite being limited to 28 games, she averaged 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing.

So, no doubt, the team needed someone to replace her. But was a full-season suspension the only option? Maybe not!

W’s teams still prefer a temporary suspension as a better way out!

If covering up the spaces left vacant by players is the reason, the temporary suspension could have been a better way out. Just consider how the Wings suspended Luisa Geiselsöder’s contract a day before their season opener. This simply means she’ll likely be held out until she returns from overseas play, allowing the Wings to sign a 13th player for the season.

Geiselsöder was drafted by the Wings in 2015, and since then, she has participated in overseas play each season. She’s played for BG Donau Ries, Roche Vendée, Basket Landes, and Landerneau. But this isn’t the first time she’s faced suspension. The Wings also suspended her in 2021 while she was playing overseas.

So, while Bueckers and company begin the season with the current roster, Geiselsöder will be finishing her season at Basket Landes, a French professional women’s basketball club. However, Geiselsöder isn’t the only one in the W facing temporary suspension. Along with her, Leïla Lacan and Murjanatu Musa have also been temporarily suspended by their respective WNBA teams due to overseas commitments.

Murjanatu Musa, a Nigerian forward signed by the Phoenix Mercury, has been suspended while she finishes her season with Tarbes Gespe Bigorre in France. Leïla Lacan, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, is similarly completing her season with Basket Landes in France.

These moves by the Sun, Mercury, and Wings allow them to retain player rights without occupying a roster spot or affecting the salary cap.