2019 NBA play-offs: Kyle Lowry debacle with Mark Stevens brings ugly history of player-fan interactions back into spotlight
- Stevens, a part owner, was given a one-year ban and fined half a million dollars for shoving Lowry after he entered the front row of seats
- The incident is one of many when it comes to basketball players and fan interaction in the NBA
It’s tough to find a sport where fans and players are so physically close to one another outside basketball.
Most professional leagues have stands or buffer room between the two – football, NFL, NHL and MLB stadiums and arenas are all designed to keep the two as separate as possible without harming the viewing experience. Heck, chain link fences at football matches are a common sight these days in some countries.
However basketball is making a name for itself these play-offs, not only on the court as the underdog Toronto Raptors now lead the Golden State Warriors two games to one in the 2019 NBA Finals (game four tips off on Saturday morning at 9am Hong Kong time), but in how easy it is to interact with the players.
Drake has been flapping his gums throughout the entire play-offs, and the recent Kyle Lowry debacle with Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens, in which the billionaire, sitting courtside, somehow thought that allowed him to shove and verbally assault a player, brings the sport’s ugly history into spotlight. Watching a basketball game from eye-level is an incredibly intimate experience, however one wonders, how close is too close?
Here’s a look at some other disastrous fan interactions that have taken place over the years in the NBA.
The Malice at the Palace
You know when the altercation has a boxing fight nickname tagged to it, things went seriously awry. In 2004 the Detroit Pistons were playing the Indiana Pacers in a rather innocuous regular season game. However, a shoving match ensued after Pacers forward Ron Artest, who now goes by the name Metta World Peace, fouled Pistons centre Ben Wallace. With the game already decided and only 45 seconds remaining on the clock, Wallace took offence, and what transpired next amounted to nine suspensions for a total of 146 games and US$11 million in lost salary. Infamous yes, but we have to give a shout out to Inside Edition, who somehow snagged an interview with Kid Rock, who was sitting courtside, about the whole thing.