INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA has made a decision on how to handle Patrick Beverley's antics last week during the Milwaukee Bucks' loss in Game 6 to the Indiana Pacers: a 4-game suspension.
NBA officials announced on Thursday that the Bucks point guard will be suspended for the first four games of next season without pay for "forcefully throwing" a ball "multiple times" at Pacers fans during the final minutes of his team's 120-98 loss last Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Video posted on social media and televised nationally shows Bucks center Brook Lopez walking to the bench as Beverley holds a basketball in the corner of the screen. Then he hurls the balls into the stands.
Initially, the ball thrown by Beverley strikes a woman sitting near the court in her head. A fan sitting near the woman then lobs the ball back to the Bucks point guard before Beverley again throws an aggressive chest pass into the stands. The second half can be seen below.
#BREAKING: IMPD confirms it is investigating this incident involving Milwaukee Bucks player Patrick Beverley where he threw the ball at some fans during the Pacers game last Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. pic.twitter.com/GhTYU8ZLjB
— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisTV) May 8, 2024
Beverley then takes a seat. He appears to jaw with some other fans in the crowd. The incident led security at the venue to intervene.
The point guard never again entered the game, with the Pacers ultimately winning to advance to the second round of the playoffs - the team's first playoff series win in 10 years.
However, the instigator's antics weren't done.
After the game, Beverley refused to talk to an ESPN reporter who said she wasn’t subscribed to his podcast. He eventually pushed the woman's microphone away before telling her to leave the press pool.
The NBA cited both the "forceful" ball-throwing incident and the "inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability" as reasons for the suspension in a news release posted to social media. The league did not provide information on whether Beverley will also be fined.
Beverley may also be facing legal trouble for the fan interaction on the sidelines.
FOX59/CBS4 reported Wednesday that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is also investigating the incident. An IMPD police report from May 2 confirms that an off-duty officer witnessed the interaction and that the department is now investigating.
For more information on IMPD's investigation into Beverley and the point guard's eventual apology for the antics, click here.