Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac disputes allegations that teammate Patrick Beverley mistreated NBPA head Michele Roberts during a meeting. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Clippers' Ivica Zubac: Patrick Beverley 'never' told Michele Roberts 'I pay your bills'

Patrick Beverley faced intense criticism after he reportedly told players' union executive director Michele Roberts "I pay your salary" as she was explaining the financial impact of players possibly leaving the Bubble. However, Ivica Zubac has said these rumors aren't true, as he tweeted that his Clippers' teammate "never said anything like this."

The Clippers center responded to a story about the controversial (and potentially made-up) exchange, retweeting it with the caption: "I don’t know who leaks this stuff, but Pat never said anything like this..."

Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks wrote that she had spoken to several players who said that while there was a "moment" between the two, that their difference had been "completely resolved" after the two spoke Thursday morning. Several other NBA players have also said the tense "moment" did not really happen as it has been charactized, as Magic forward Vic Law tweeted "that is not what [Beverley] said."

Does this mean that Beverley did not say "I pay your salary" to Roberts? Perhaps, but at the same time, some still believe that NBA players may simply be protecting one of their own from public scrutiny. Perhaps Beverley did say it but upon being called out by several other players, as was reported by Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, he realized his mistake and apologized to Roberts for his offensive comments. 

Ultimately, it's unlikely that we'll ever really get to know what happened in that "moment," unless Beverley and Roberts decide to share their story with the media.

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