LeBron James Calls out Warriors Part-Owner Mark Stevens for Kyle Lowry Push
June 6, 2019
Golden State Warriors minority stakeholder Mark Stevens pushed Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry after he dove into the stands during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
And Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took to Instagram on Thursday to call out Stevens for his inappropriate actions:
"When you sit courtside you absolutely know what comes with being on the floor and if you don't know it's on the back on the ticket itself that states the guidelines. But he himself being a fan but more importantly PART-OWNER of the Warriors knew exactly what he was doing which was so uncalled for. He knew the rules more than just the average person sitting watching the game courtside so for that Something needs to be done ASAP! A swift action for his actions.
"Just think to yourself, what if @kyle_lowry7 would have reacted and put his hands back on him. You guys would be going CRAZY!! Calling for him to damn near be put in jail let alone being suspended for the rest of the Finals all because he was protected himself. I've been quite throughout the whole NBA playoffs watching every game (haven't missed one) but after I saw what I saw last night, took time to let it manifest into my thinking. I couldn't and wouldn't be quiet on this!"
Kyle Lowry also spoke about the incident after the game:
The Warriors released a statement and said Stevens—who was ejected from the game after pushing Lowry—would not be in attendance for any remaining NBA Finals games:
James also responded to that announcement on Twitter:
The NBA also banned Stevens from games:
In addition to pushing Lowry, Stevens also reportedly cursed at him and told him to "Go f--k yourself," according to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star. Arash Madani of SportsNet reported Stevens "will be making a public apology and providing a donation to Kyle's 'Lowry Love Foundation.'"
Along with being a minority stakeholder and executive board member of the Warriors, Stevens is also the managing partner of S-Curbed Capital. He was formerly the managing partner of Sequoia Capital.
James wasn't alone in condemning Stevens:
Kathy Griffin @kathygriffinIf a fan had done this, they would be banned for life. Don’t start with me with “Drake kinda did that once.” Not even close to this situation. #MarkStevens, you’re only a minority owner anyway. Marky, calm down gurrrl. Big penalty🙄. Please, are there one or two games left? https://t.co/khTZVtUsbt
The Raptors defeated the Warriors 123-109 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.