The Golden State Warriors already made the correct initial move by banning minority owner Mark Stevens from the rest of the contests in the 2019 NBA Finals after he shoved Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry in a Game 3 incident.
Now, the spotlight swings to NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league. Here is an opportunity to make a statement to, as LeBron James put it in his Instagram response to the incident, “protect the players.”
Going back to last year, there’s been a disturbing number of incidents involving courtside fans and players. Take Russell Westbrook, who, on multiple occasions, has had run-ins with Utah Jazz die-hards, including one whose social media presence was filled with racist and violent language and another who called him “boy” in 2018. That same year, an NBA spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports there was “a reduction in fan ejections and inappropriate interactions between players and fans.”
Even if that’s true, this is a case where the league must prove it’s as tough on those with deep enough pockets to get to see the game up close, and especially on someone who has a financial stake in a team. With a recent TMZ report that some franchises were considering using a different word other than “owner,” a zero-tolerance response to Stevens’ behavior would be another step in the right direction.
UPDATE: The league announced that Stevens “will not be permitted to attend NBA games” as a review continues.
Nets forward Jared Dudley said a Finals ban wasn’t enough discipline. As the Spurs’ Rudy Gay pointed out — as did James — what if it was reversed and it was Lowry who shoved a fan or minority stakeholder? They’re both right.
Short of moving back seats from the court, there’s no good solution I can think of that would take care of this growing problem. Teams make too much money off courtside seats to make a change like that.
But what Silver can do is come down hard on Stevens and remind everyone, from fans to owners, that any feeling of privilege that comes with paying four figures or more — or many multiples of that for a stake in a team — for a seat is unacceptable. Former NBA guard Cuttino Mobley said as much in a thoughtful tweet:
If Silver and the NBA are serious about player safety and attempting to shut down emboldened fans who think they can say or do whatever they want because they’re within earshot of pros, they’ll come down hard on Stevens.
