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NBA suspends Bucks' Patrick Beverley 4 games for throwing ball at fans, kicking reporter out of interview

Beverley has since said about both incidents, "I have to be better. And I will."

sean leahy · ryan young
·3 min read
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Patrick Beverley of the Milwaukee Bucks has been suspended four games without pay 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 closed out the series and sent the Pacers into the Eastern Conference semifinals, Beverley was seen throwing a ball toward Pacers fans and hitting a woman in the head. Beverley then waved at a different fan to throw the ball back to him, which he did, and then Beverley chucked the ball right back at him hard.

Beverley kept jawing with fans behind their bench before teammates and others defused the situation. He was not ejected from the game, but he didn’t return. The Bucks were down by 20 points at the time.

"It's an unfortunate situation that should have never happened. What I did was bad and that should have never happened. I have to be better and I will be better," Beverley said on his podcast this week.

Beverley added that he reacted that way because of what was said to him by fans.

''Regardless of what was said ... it was more than, 'Cancun on three,'" Beverley said. "Let's just say it was more than that. I've been called a lot of stuff in this league, I haven't been called that one. Still inexcusable, it doesn't matter what was said. I have to be better and I will be better."

Indianapolis police are investigating the ball-throwing incident between Beverley and the Pacers fans.

Detectives confirmed the investigation to The Athletic on Wednesday, and said they are reviewing video footage from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and plan to speak with all parties. It’s unclear if they will pursue any criminal charges.

The other reason Beverley is being suspended is because after the game, he refused to answer questions from ESPN’s Malinda Adams in a media scrum because she didn’t subscribe to his podcast.

Beverley defended himself, saying on his podcast he's done that with other reporters in the past. But when he saw the clip go viral and criticism come his way, he reached out to Adams.

"I've done that since I had a podcast," Beverley said of the interaction. "...I instantly get her number, I call her. Ain't nobody tell me to call her. Like, I literally find her number, call her number, like, 'Hey, I know you probably getting a lot of people reaching out to you and I apologize about that. It was never my intent to disrespect you.' We got on the phone we laughed about it."

Beverley, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer, will serve his four-game suspension next season.