Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens will miss the rest of the NBA Finals after pushing Raptors star Kyle Lowry.
The NBA is still investigating, leaving the door open for further punishment.
As I’ve written before, the league’s handling of owner misconduct depends greatly on player and and public response. Stevens will get penalized only as much as the NBA’s business partners, including players, want him to be.
And the league’s most-powerful player – LeBron James – is calling for additional penalties.
LeBron:
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByX_076gKD3/
Ok cool but still ain’t enough! They did exactly what they had to do. Get in front of it before anyone else and plus there’s only 4 games left(2 max in GS).
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 6, 2019
Stevens’ push was completely unacceptable, especially for someone with his title. Lowry landed a couple seats away while diving into the stands for a loose ball. Stevens tried to take advantage of the chaos by taking a cheap shot on Lowry.
But determining the appropriate punishment is more complex. I don’t have a good answer.
Stevens should face significant consequences. He should also have an opportunity to learn from his transgression and behave better in the future. The onus should also be on him to prove his personal growth before being allowed back to games.
The big question is his ownership stake. Will Golden State and the league allow him to keep it? That’s where pressure from players like LeBron could make a huge difference.