Raptors president of operations Masai Ujiri allegedly struck and pushed a sheriff's deputy at Oracle Arena as he tried to gain access to the court to celebrate his team’s first NBA championship, Sgt. Ray Kelly with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office confirmed to NBC Sports Washington on Friday morning.
The sheriff’s office told NBC Bay Area on Thursday night that it, along with the Oakland Police Department, is investigating an incident in which "a man believed to be a Toronto Raptors executive" pushed and struck a sheriff's deputy in the face on the court at Oracle after Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Kelly declined to identify the executive, who was not arrested, when asked by The San Francisco Chronicle. However, he did confirm to NBC Sports Washington that it was Ujiri.
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The sheriff's office considers the case to be misdemeanor battery on an officer.
Kelly told NBC Sports Washington that the sheriff's deputy blocked Ujiri from the court because the Raptors executive did not display the appropriate credentials. Kelly said the sheriff's deputy was following strict security protocol and didn't recognize Ujiri.
“The incident is being looked at, and we are cooperating with authorities. We look forward to resolving the situation," a Raptors spokesperson said to NBC Sports Washington.
A video of the incident from NBC Bay Area shows a man standing in between a Raptors executive and deputies, with his arms outstretched. Eventually, the executive is guided through the crowd to the court by Kyle Lowry and proceeds to celebrate with the team.
NBC Sports Bay Area's requests to sheriff's officials and the Raptors for comment weren't returned.
Kelly said once the sheriff's deputies realized who Ujiri was, they opted to let him go celebrate, but they are gathering evidence to submit a complaint to the district attorney over the incident.
Golden State Warriors
NBC Bay Area broke news of the incident in the early morning hours after the Raptors beat the Warriors for the title.
Ujiri could be leaving the Raptors shortly after steering them to the championship. NBC Sports Washington's Ben Standig reported that the Wizards are preparing to offer Ujiri the top job in their front office. That offer could include everything from an ownership stake in Monumental, or an eight-figure salary.