Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley was fined $25,000 for approaching a fan after Game 3 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. Beverley spoke to the fan following an in-game incident in which the fan allegedly got in Beverley’s face and made some provocative comments. Following his fine, Beverley spoke to the media, defending his actions. From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
“I’m OK with the hazing,” Beverley said. “I’m OK with the boos. I’m OK with other fans rooting for their team. But I’m not OK with the blatant disrespect while I’m lying on the ground and a fan yelling out to me, ‘F you Patrick Beverley, ‘F you Patrick Beverley, ‘F you Patrick Beverley,’ waving a clapper in my face. I’m not comfortable with that.
“If the NBA won’t protect the players, I feel as a man, as a grown man who has children, who has morals, to stand up for the right thing. I have to protect myself.”
Beverley clarified that this “protecting” included nothing physical or violent:
“I felt like I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Beverley said. “I addressed him and said, “At the end of the day, this is a basketball game. This is a game. I’m a grown man. You’re a grown man. There’s no need for blatant disrespect. That’s all.
“He shrugged his shoulders like ‘Whatever.’ His wife puts her finger in my face.
“I’ll accept the 25. At the same time, if the NBA won’t protect its players, I feel the need as a person, as a man who has two young boys, who has a daughter who has strong morals about myself, who’s been raised by a single mother to protect myself if no one else is going to protect him.
“When I mean protect myself, I don’t mean go out there and start a fight with a person. I walked up to the guy, ‘At the end of the day brother, this is a game.’ No curse words. No pointing fingers. No this. No that. I just let him know that just don’t do nothing like that.”
