Mark Stevens, the Golden State Warriors minority owner who shoved and cursed at Kyle Lowry during Game 3, has been banned from attending any games or other team activities through the 2019-20 season. Additionally, the league fined Stevens $500,000.
In the wake of Stevens' actions in Game 3, both current and former players have weighed in on, including NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, who explained how he would've blown Stevens' wife a kiss if he were in Lowry's shoes.
Lowry, and other NBA stars like LeBron James, have been pushing for a harsher punishment but for now it appears that the league has settled on the one-year ban. Following Toronto's 123-109 victory, Lowry told reporters:
"There's no place for that,'' Lowry said. "He had no reason to touch me. He had no reason to reach over two seats and then say some vulgar language to me. There's no place for people like that in our league. Hopefully, he never comes back to an NBA game."
"People who sit courtside, they might get in on the action," Lowry said. "Don't sit courtside if you don't want somebody touching you."
During a post-game interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, Lowry added:
"The fans have a place; we love our fans," Lowry told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. "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."