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- The fan who shoved Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals was reported by Axios to be Mark Stevens, a billionaire venture capitalist that’s also a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors.
- Before his identity had been reported, Lowry had called for the fan to be barred from ever attending an NBA game again.
- It’s unclear how the NBA will respond to the new development.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals was forced to pause early in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night after a fan sitting courtside shoved Kyle Lowry, who had leaped into the crowd chasing after a loose ball.
Lowry appealed to the referees and the fan was eventually escorted away from his seats.
On Thursday, Axios reported that the fan who shoved Lowry wasn’t just any fan sitting courtside, but Mark Stevens — a billionaire venture capitalist who also owns a minority stake in the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors later confirmed his identity.
You can see the scene that took place on Wednesday night below.
After the game, Lowry called for the man who shoved him to be barred for life.
"There’s no place for that. He had no reason to touch me," Lowry told reporters. "He had no reason to reach over two seats and then say some vulgar language to me … Hopefully, he never comes back to an NBA game."
According to Bruce Arthur at the Toronto Star, one source said Stevens repeatedly said to Lowry, "Go f— yourself."
Just an hour after Axios’ story was published, the Warriors announced in a statement that Stevens would not be attending any more games through the NBA Finals:
"Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization. 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.
Mr. Stevens will not be in attendance at any of the remaining games of the 2019 NBA Finals.
Review of this matter is ongoing."
It’s unclear how the league will move forward given the new development. The NBA did not immediately respond for comment.
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Tyler Lauletta)