Patrick Beverley of the Milwaukee Bucks has been suspended. 4 games without pay by NBA For throwing a basketball at a fan and for interacting with an ESPN reporter after Game 6 of the first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
In the final minutes of the Bucks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers, ending the series and advancing the Pacers to the Eastern Conference semifinals, Beverley was seen throwing a ball at a Pacers fan and hitting a woman in the head. . Beverley then waved to another fan to throw the ball back, which the fan did, and Beverley violently chucked the ball at him.
Beverley continued to argue with fans behind the bench until teammates and other players calmed the situation. He was not ejected from the game, but did not return. At this point, the Bucks were trailing by 20 points.
“This is an unfortunate situation that should never have happened. What I did was wrong and it should never have happened. I have to be better and I will be better,” Beverly said. He said this on this week's podcast.
Beverly added that she reacted that way because something a fan said to her.
“Regardless of what was said, it was more than '3 wins and Cancun,'” Beverley said. I've been called up a lot in this league, but never in that league. I still can't forgive him, but it doesn't matter what was said. We have to be better and we will be better. ”
Indianapolis police are investigating a ball-throwing incident between Beverley and a Pacers fan.
Detectives confirmed the investigation to The Athletic on Wednesday, saying they are reviewing video footage from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and plan to speak with all parties involved. It's unclear whether they will file criminal charges.
Another reason Beverley is suspended is because he refused to answer questions from ESPN's Malinda Adams during the postgame media scrum because he did not subscribe to the podcast.
Patrick Beverley told a female ESPN reporter that he could not interview her because she did not subscribe to his podcast. pic.twitter.com/sRFHiZJaSK
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 3, 2024
Beverley defended himself on his podcast, saying he had done similar things to other reporters in the past. But after seeing the clip go viral and receiving criticism, he reached out to Adams.
“I’ve been doing that ever since I did the podcast,” Beverly said of the exchange. “…I immediately find her number and call her. No one told me to call her. Literally, I find her number and call her I call the number and I'm like, “Hey, I know you're probably calling a lot of people,” and I apologize for that because I got through to you. I never meant to disrespect you. ” We laughed when we talked about it over the phone. ”
Beverley, who became an unrestricted free agent this summer, will be suspended for four games starting next season.
