Parker Jackson-Cartwright has been referred directly to the NBL's tribunal for pushing over a match official during a mid-game melee.
The New Zealand Breakers import has been charged with "grabbing, pushing or mishandling a game official" and will front the league's single-member tribunal on Saturday at 3.30pm (AEDT).
Any long-term ban could be the hammer blow to a season threatening to slip away from the ninth-placed Breakers, who are on an eight-game losing streak.
Jackson-Cartwright is the star player on the New Zealand team, nominated for the league MVP award and selected in the All-NBL First Team following a superb 2023/24 season.
If handed a suspension, the American would have the chance to appeal his verdict and appear before a larger panel.
The NBL's game review panel launched an investigation into Jackson-Cartwright and Tasmania forward Reuben Te Rangi on Thursday following the JackJumpers' win on Christmas Day.
Tensions boiled over in the fourth quarter at Hobart's MyState Bank Arena after Te Rangi pushed Jackson-Cartwright during a stoppage in play.
Jackson-Cartwright fired back at the New Zealander, shoving a referee as the match official ran in to help break the teams apart.
Jackson-Cartwright then grappled with a second match official who attempted to restrain him, pushing him away after the pair became interlocked.
Neither player was ejected for their role in the conflict but Te Rangi received an unsportsmanlike foul and Jackson-Cartwright a technical foul.
The game review panel is expected to deliver its verdict on Te Rangi's conduct later on Friday.
Jackson-Cartwright is the first player referred directly to the tribunal since Adelaide 36ers imports Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell, who were at the centre of a courtside brawl with fans earlier this season.
Davis was banned for two games and Harrell for three over the incident that left one fan permanently banned from attending NBL games.
Contact with match officials is less of a faux pas in the NBL than in Australia's major football codes, which take a dim view of any physical interaction with the referee.
Players will frequently make light contact as they address a referee during basketball's regular stoppages, and this is not prohibited in the league's rules.
Harrell escaped suspension for pushing a match official during a fracas earlier this season after the referee found himself between Harrell and a warring rival.
The referee did not fall to the ground on that occasion, though, and Harrell was not summoned to appear before the tribunal.
The Breakers face the last-placed Cairns Taipans on Tuesday for a golden chance to snap their losing streak and end the year on a positive note.
