On March 27, 2019, the Warriors sent out a statement announcing power forward Jordan Bell's one-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team." Speculation instantaneously started to swirl, as few details were made available to the public.
Soon thereafter, rumors began circulating that Bell had made hotel charges to assistant coach Mike Brown's room. The gossip and conversation swelled from there.
On the latest episode of "Dubs Talk," Bell explained in great detail what happened that day and what came afterward. With a big grin and a bunch of laughs, here is what Bell had to say:
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"So we had a team joke going on, and I found out the hard way. It was like a team joke, just like somebody gave you a 'grenade,' where they dribble down the shot clock and pass to you, that should be a fine. But our thing was just that we would put things on each other's rooms. So when you go through our team list, you have a bunch of alias names, because you are not supposed to let anyone know who you are. So, yeah, it was a joke. It was my rookie year, and it was little things, like my coach was late coming out to warm-ups, so I would put something on him, on his thing, or it was just a random joke, so you never expect to put food or a meal, just little things.
"So I did that. I put two candles on Mike Brown's room. It was as soon as I got to the hotel, I opened up the envelope and said I'll put it on Mike Brown's. And I was like, 'he got it.' And so I go up the next day, they call me and are like, 'Coach wants to talk to you,' and I'm like, 'I didn't go out last night, I didn't do anything,' so I don't know what this is, I didn't do anything wrong. I don't know something bad I did, because I had never been called to his room, so I'm like, 'that is weird.' But I'm thinking trade, and I'm thinking it is not something I did, it is probably something crazy.
"They call me to the room, and they are like, 'Did you do this?' And I was like, 'Yeah, it was a joke. My fault. But for you guys to call me here, obviously, you guys thought it was a serious offense,' so I was like, 'Yeah, I am sorry, I will pay it back, it was like $30.' So they were like, 'Yeah, we are going to have to suspend you' and all of that. So when they suspended me for the game, the team never says what it was. It says 'breaking team rules for this player's action' or whatever. And they just tried to keep it in-house, which it was supposed to do.
"And somehow, I forgot the reporter, and he put out half the story and was like, 'Jordan was suspended for charging the coach's room.' Like I saw the message as we were taking off, as we were going to Minnesota, straight after the game. As we were taking off, I see that tweet go out, because I was following that reporter because he was a Warriors reporter, and I was like, 'Oh OK, at least it is out. I'm not worried about it.'
Golden State Warriors
"So I land, and I see all of this, 'Oh, he is watching porn, he is watching porn.' It was hilarious. I was like pissed, but it was the memes and stuff, because it blew up so much. And it was like, 'porn, porn, oh he is doing this in his room and charging stuff.' And I'm like, 'First of all, porn is free, on my phone. I am not going to buy it in a hotel.'
"But yeah, that is all it was. It was definitely my fault, because I had put it on coaches' charges before, but I guess I should not have done it to Mike. And he took offense to it. And I always tell him it was not personal, it was not anything like that. But we talk about it because it is funny. But Mike and I are super cool, especially when I got back to the Warriors training camp our last year. He was the guy helping me out the most with the new stuff.
"The craziest part about that, my mom, she asked me about this last summer, and randomly she was like, 'So Jordan, why did you buy porn?' And I am like, 'Mom, you thought it was porn this whole time?' This whole time, my mom thought that was real, and I'm like, 'someone tweeted out that it was a candle.' That was the funniest moment for me.
"And then my auntie texted me and was like, 'I am so disappointed in you Jordan.' She texted me that the day of though, or the next day. And I love my auntie, not as much as my mom, but she is like my second mom, and that hurt me when she texted me that. I was like, 'No, no, no, it was a candle. It was a candle'."
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Does Bell still have these candles?
"No, actually I was going to [Grizzlies guard] Dillon Brooks' house, and he was like, 'Before you come, can you get me some things, like some water and stuff, and like a candle,' and I'm like, 'Oh, there is a candle right here.' I don't think he has it anymore, I hope not. That was the wrong joke, though. I got so many candles after that as gifts. I love candles, though, so I was like, 'that is something I can use,' and I had some nice smells for a while."