On Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors hosted the Toronto Raptors at the Oracle Arena for Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals. But, with Game 4 expected to kick off on Friday in the Bay, one fan, who has since been identified as a part-owner of the Oakland team, will not be able to attend due to an altercation with Raptors’ point guard Kyle Lowry.
According to Bleacher Report, Mark Stevens, who owns a minority stake in the Warriors, was identified and confirmed as the person who put hands on Lowry during the game.
The incident occurred after Lowry dove into the front row, in an attempt to save a loose ball. As he tried to regain his footing, the baller was shoved by another courtside fan, who was later identified as Stevens. Although he was immediately ejected, the incident did not sit well with Lowry or the home team, as they released a statement and moved to ban Stevens for the rest of the Finals.
“The fans have a place; we love our fans,” Lowry told ESPN. “But fans like that shouldn’t be allowed to be in there, because it’s not right. I can’t do nothing to protect myself. But the league does a good job, and hopefully, they ban him from all NBA games forever.”
“Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We’re extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate misconduct. There is no place for such interaction between fans- or anyone – and players at an NBA game.
Stevens is reportedly listed as the 962nd richest person in the world and joined the Warriors ownership group in 2013.
