The former Milwaukee Bucks guard, now a free agent, will face pay deductions for the ball tosses and what the league deems as an “inappropriate interaction” with reporters.
The NBA announced on Thursday that free agent guard Patrick Beverley has been suspended without pay for four games for angrily throwing a basketball into the stands during his team’s season-ending loss.
During Game 6 of the series between Beverley’s Milwaukee Bucks and the host Indiana Pacers last week, Beverley hurled a basketball into the seats behind the visitors’ bench. The ball appeared to strike a fan in the face, and when it was lobbed back to Beverley, he threw it into the crowd again.
In a recent episode of his “Pat Bev Podcast,” the fiery player acknowledged his fault, saying, “Unfortunate situation that should’ve never happened. What I did was bad, and that should have never happened. I have to be better and I will be better. That should have never happened, regardless of what was said, simple as that.”
Following the game, Beverley declined to answer questions from ESPN producer Malinda Adams.
As an unrestricted free agent, Beverley’s next team would likely have to sideline him for four regular season games.
The NBA’s response to Beverley’s actions stands in contrast to its handling of Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray, who on Monday threw a heat pack onto the court during the Nuggets’ playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Murray was fined $100,000 for the incident but did not receive a suspension.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch condemned Murray’s behavior as “inexcusable and dangerous.”
