OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the incident in which Toronto guard Kyle Lowry was shoved by a courtside Warriors fan (all times local):
2:20 p.m.
The NBA has banned Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens from attending games and any Warriors team activities for one year, and has fined him $500,000 for shoving Toronto guard Kyle Lowry.
Stevens’ ban is effective immediately and will carry through the entire 2019-20 season, including the playoffs.
The NBA says its investigation found that Stevens pushed and directed obscene language toward Lowry.
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2:10 p.m.
Toronto guard Kyle Lowry says the fan that shoved him in Game 3 of the NBA Finals should not be allowed to be part of the league going forward.
Lowry says Mark Stevens, the Warriors’ investor who shoved him, is ”not a good look for the ownership group that they have” with Golden State. He’s also thankful for the support he’s gotten from other NBA players, including LeBron James – who he had a text exchange with Thursday.
Lowry says Stevens ”shouldn’t be a part of our league.” Many other members of the Raptors offered similar sentiments Thursday.
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1:10 p.m.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry is lauding Toronto’s Kyle Lowry for his response after being shoved by a fan in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Curry calls it an ”unfortunate situation all the way around” and that Lowry ”handled it correctly.” Curry adds that he does not know Warriors investor Mark Stevens, who was identified as the courtside spectator who pushed Lowry.
Curry says Stevens’ actions do not represent the way Warriors conduct themselves. The star guard adds that it’s important to have ”respect for the game all the way around – fans, owners, team, players, coaches, everybody – because there’s so much good happening on the court.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr says he’s apologizing to Lowry and the Raptors. The Warriors organization did the same earlier Thursday.
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12:20 p.m.
The NBA says the conduct of Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens at Game 3 of the NBA Finals was ”beyond unacceptable.”
League spokesman Mike Bass says Stevens will not be permitted to attend games until the review of the matter is complete. The Warriors had already said he wouldn’t be attending any more games in this series.
Bass says, ”a team representative must be held to the highest possible standard and the conduct of Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens last night was beyond unacceptable and has no place in our league.”
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11:05 a.m.
A person with knowledge of the situation says the NBA is also investigating the incident where a Golden State Warriors investor shoved Toronto’s Kyle Lowry during a stoppage in play of Game 3.
The person says the credential issued to the investor, Mark Stevens, for the series has been deactivated. The person spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team has divulged specifics of the ongoing probe.
Because Stevens is a team executive, he could face sanctions from both the NBA and the Warriors. The Warriors have already said he will not be at any more games in this series.
– AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Oakland, California
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9:35 a.m.
The Golden State Warriors say team investor Mark Stevens will not be attending any more games in the NBA Finals, after he apparently shoved Toronto star Kyle Lowry during Wednesday night’s contest at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors say they and Stevens ”offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate misconduct.”
The Warriors say their probe into the matter is ongoing.
Forbes identifies Stevens as a venture capitalist. It’s unclear how large his ownership stake in the Warriors is.
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12:15 a.m.
A fan seated courtside for Game 3 of the NBA Finals was ejected after shoving Kyle Lowry when the Toronto Raptors star crashed into a row of seats while trying to save a ball from going out of bounds.
Lowry was visibly upset and tells The Associated Press that the man made vulgar comments.
Lowry says ”he had no reason to touch me. He had no reason to reach over two seats and then say some vulgar language to me. There’s no place for people like that in our league.”
Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder and security officials confirmed the fan who shoved Lowry was ejected and escorted from Oracle Arena.
Lowry ran down a loose ball early in the fourth quarter and jumped in the air as it was going out of bounds, not far from where Warriors owner Joe Lacob was sitting. Lowry knocked the ball into a referee and landed in the lap of one male fan who appeared to grab Lowry’s jersey with two hands.
A female who was standing nearby patted the veteran guard on his back. At the same time, a man wearing a blue shirt who was sitting down extended his left arm and gave Lowry a hard shove in his left shoulder.
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