The Milwaukee Bucks fell victim to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of their first-round series, losing 120-98 on the road on Thursday night. Although questions about the organization’s future with their core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Damian Lillard loom large due to losing in the first round for the second consecutive year, it is what happened after the game with Patrick Beverley that has made headlines.
In the Bucks’ locker room after the game, Beverley was sitting at his locker and fielding questions from reporters, as any player usually does after a playoff game. It was then that Beverley went out of his way to personally exclude a female ESPN employee from asking him any questions due to the fact that she was not subscribed to his podcast. After asking her if she was subscribed to his podcast and finding out that she wasn’t, Beverley made it very clear that she could not do her job and get his opinions in that setting.
“Are you subscribed to my pod?” Beverley asked the reporter, via Pacers reporter Alex Golden. “You can’t interview me then. No disrespect.”
After many thought that the veteran guard was just playing around, as he tends to do both on and off the court, Beverley again singled out the female reporter, telling her to get her microphone out of his face as he pushed it aside. Beverley then told her again to remove the microphone from his face while he answered someone else’s question, stating that she could do so or get out of the interview circle.
These antics are apparently nothing new for Beverley, as he has told different NBA media members on countless occasions that they are not allowed to speak with him unless they are subscribed to his podcast, according to Jack Maloney of CBS Sports. Beverley has been doing this since his arrival in Milwaukee at the trade deadline.
Many NBA media members have taken to Twitter to defend Malinda Adams, a veteran field producer who has been with ESPN for over a decade. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called out Beverley, stating that the veteran guard will need to “make a couple apologies” for publicly disrespecting Adams. Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Andscape also chimed in, claiming that Beverley “is who he is” given his track record of also disrespecting Michele Roberts of the NBPA in the NBA Bubble several years ago.
Patrick Beverley’s on-court antics in Game 6 vs. Pacers
In addition to what happened after Game 6 in Indianapolis on Thursday night by going out of his way to insult a highly respected member of the media, Beverley was also involved in an incident on the court that many did not notice in the final moments of the game.
After leaving the floor with the starters after head coach Doc Rivers emptied the Bucks’ bench in order to waive the white flag, Beverley struck a woman in the head with a basketball. He then asked for the basketball back, to which a male fan in the stands tossed him the ball, and Beverley then immediately chucked the ball at the man. At this time, it is unknown what exactly was said to warrant this type of response from Beverley, but this is something the league office and commissioner Adam Silver will certainly review.
It is absolutely possible that Silver and the NBA will suspend Beverley for his actions both at the conclusion of the game and for what happened in the locker room with the female reporter. By no means should a player ever get into any physical altercation with a fan, which is why he will be reprimanded upon league review.
Beverley, whom the Bucks acquired in the middle of the 2023-24 season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. What the future holds for Beverley, who turns 36 years old in July, is unknown at this time, especially given the drama that seems to follow him.
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