Chris Duarte is currently in the process of presenting his arguments regarding the disciplinary proceedings opened by Unicaja.
The so-called ‘Duarte case’ continues to unfold after the explosive events that took place in Badalona during the BCL Final Four. Unicaja remains in constant contact with its legal department to determine the next steps, having opened disciplinary proceedings against the player and subsequently suspending him from his duties.
**Long-Standing Discontent with the Dominican Player**
Although the conflict erupted publicly over the weekend, tensions between the Dominican forward and the club, coaching staff, and even the locker room have been simmering for much longer. Several previous incidents came close to triggering disciplinary action, but the Los Guindos club always opted for diplomacy and a soft approach, trying to handle the situation internally without any public signs.
**Public Outburst in Badalona**
In an effort to normalize the situation, the Malaga club promoted direct conversations with Duarte and even sought support from the rest of the squad to ease tensions. However, the situation finally broke down completely last Friday when the player himself posted a fiery Instagram story heavily criticizing his environment at Unicaja, shortly after being included by the BCL in the Second Best Quintet of the 2025/26 season. Hours after his misstep, Duarte deleted the message from his social media and issued an apology addressed to teammates, coaches, the club, and “fans,” further implying that his criticisms were directly aimed at them.
**Contract Valid Until June 2027**
From that point, the scenario accelerated. The unofficial decision within the club is that the player will not wear the Unicaja jersey again, though his contract remains valid for the remainder of this season and one more, until June 30, 2027. The goal now is to resolve a complex contractual situation where both sides start from very distant positions. On one hand, the club seeks a departure that involves no financial cost, relying on the recent disciplinary episodes and the opened proceedings. On the other, the forward will try to defend his interests and secure a favorable exit from the club.
**Sense of Relief**
Meanwhile, there is a feeling that the player’s absence has even had an immediate sporting effect, with a more liberated group performing in the BCL third-place match against La Laguna Tenerife, where the team showed a more fluid version and better body language than in previous games.
The conflict is now primarily focused on the legal and juridical terrain rather than the strictly sporting side. The Dominican player has 10 working days to submit his arguments against the disciplinary proceedings. During this period, he remains provisionally suspended from his duties. Unicaja has stated that it will officially inform when the disciplinary proceedings are resolved. Thus, these are key hours for the resolution of the ‘Duarte case’. Many questions remain, but one near-certainty is that Chris Duarte will not wear the green and purple jersey of Unicaja again.
