Milwaukee Bucks’ Patrick Beverley has been suspended Four unpaid games by the NBA For throwing a basketball at fans and for his interaction with an ESPN reporter after Game 6 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
In the final minutes of the Bucks’ Game 6 loss to the Pacers, which ended the series and sent the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Beverley was seen throwing a ball toward Pacers fans and hitting it in the head. Beverley then waved to another fan to return the ball to him, which he did, and Beverley then threw the ball hard at him.
Beverley continued to joke with fans behind the bench before his teammates and others defused the situation. He was not ejected from the game but did not return. The Bucks were down 20 points at the time.
“It’s an unfortunate situation that should never have happened. What I did was bad and should never have happened. I have to do better and I will be better.” Beverley said on his podcast this week.
Beverley added that he reacted this way because of what fans told him.
“No matter what was said, it was more than just ‘Cancun in three,'” Beverly said. “Let’s just say it was more than that. I’ve been called a lot of things in this league, and I’ve never been called that. This is still inexcusable, no matter what was said. I have to be better and better. I will be better.
Indianapolis Police are investigating a throwing incident between Beverley and Pacers fans.
Investigators confirmed the investigation to The Athletic on Wednesday, saying they are reviewing video footage from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and plan to speak with all parties. It is unclear whether they will press any criminal charges.
The other reason Beverley was suspended was because after the game he refused to answer questions from ESPN’s Malinda Adams at a media pool because she did not subscribe to his podcast.
Patrick Beverly told a reporter from ESPN that she couldn’t interview him because she didn’t subscribe to his podcast. pic.twitter.com/sRFHiZJaSK
– Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 3, 2024
Beverly defended himself, saying on his podcast that he had done this to other reporters in the past. But when he saw the clip going viral and criticism coming his way, he reached out to Adams.
“I’ve done it ever since I got the podcast,” Beverly said of the interaction. “…I get her number right away, and I call her. No one asks me to call her. Like, I literally find her number, and I call her number, and it’s like, ‘Hey, I know you’re probably getting a lot of people.’ I reached out and I apologize for that,” “It was never my intention to disrespect you. We got on the phone and laughed about it.”
Beverley, an unrestricted free agent this summer, will serve a four-game suspension next season.
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