Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley will not play in the upcoming Capital Punishment match-up between D.C.'s Goodman league and LA's Drew league. The talented and often-embattled local product will instead fly to China, where, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, he will play for an all-star team featuring Boston Celtics star forward Paul Pierce.
The news comes as a surprise after Beasley, who averaged 19.2 points per game with Minnesota last season, recorded a video in which he promised that D.C.'s Goodman League all-stars would "dog" the Drew League representatives and "win easy."
Not to worry, though. The game still features several NBA stars. Among them are Oklahoma City Thunder all-star forward Kevin Durant, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall and Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings.
The game will be live-streamed on thebasketballchannel.net for $4.99 per view. It will take place at Trinity University on Saturday, August 20.