Pat Beverley's fan, reporter interactions in Indianapolis were not 'the Bucks way,' Doc Rivers says
Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) drives past Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) during the first half in Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Beverley indicated a video showing him throwing a ball at a spectator on Thursday was misleading but later added that “I have to be better.”
Cameras showed Beverley sitting on the bench and tossing a ball into the stands and hitting a fan with about 2 ½ minutes left in Milwaukee’s 120-98 Game 6 loss at Indiana that knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs. After a different fan threw the ball back to Beverley, who was holding his arm out for it, the Bucks guard fired it back at that spectator.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) drives up court past Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) during the second half in Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Beverley declined to answer a question about it while speaking to reporters after the game. But he replied to an X post that showed the video by saying, “Not Fair at all. Exchanged between a fan and our ball club all night. We warned and asked for help all night. Not fair.”
Six hours later, Beverley issued another X post saying, “But I have to be better. And I will.”
Also during his postgame media session, Beverley wouldn’t allow a particular journalist to ask a question after discovering that she didn’t subscribe to his podcast. He told her to get her microphone out of his face and then eventually asked her to leave the interview circle.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) drives to the basket past Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the first half in Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The journalist was identified on social media as ESPN producer Malinda Adams. She tweeted Friday that Beverley called her and apologized.
“I appreciate it and accept it,” she said in her tweet. “The Bucks also reached out to apologize.”
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Friday he had spoken to Beverley.
“That’s not the Milwaukee way or the Bucks way,” Rivers said. “We’re better than that. Pat feels awful about that. He also understands emotionally — this is an emotional game and things happen — unfortunately, you’re judged immediately and he let the emotions get the better of him.”
Rivers said Beverley called Adams on his own without being told to do so by the Bucks.
“I had not seen that interview,” Rivers said. “I just heard that that happened. So we talked about that and then the ball-throwing incident. And he made the comment to me about what was being said back his way and I just said, ‘I get it, but we’re coaches and athletes, we’re the entertainers or whatever we are. Sometimes they can be in the wrong, but you just can’t do those certain things.’ And he knows that as well.”
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