The NBL has appealed the three-game ban handed to Matt Hodgson after he was charged with striking.
A three-hour tribunal sitting on Friday found Hodgson guilty of striking, but cleared the Perth Wildcats centre of melee charge.
The two-game suspended sentence issued by tribunal chair Ben Ihle meant he was set to miss just one game.
"I must have regard to the context of totality, and in that totality have regard to Mr Hodgson's good character," Ihle said.
"l also have regard to the fact that he's acknowledged his acceptance of these wrongdoings, both publicly and before this tribunal."
It raised eyebrows given the optics of the incident, which led to Hodgson and his club issuing formal apologies to Sydney Kings guard Dejan Vasiljevic.
The NBL on Saturday responded by exercising its right to appeal the decision and tabling a written submission to a separate, independent legal practitioner who will chair a full member tribunal should the appeal be granted within the next 48 hours.
On Wednesday, Hodgson issued an apology via the clubs' Instagram saying his actions were out of character and that he'd let down his teammates, club and fans.
"To Dejan, I'm sorry, there is no excuse for my behaviour," he said.
"I take full responsibility for my actions and will make every effort to improve myself physically and mentally before returning to the court."
