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In a joint statement the NBA and Golden State Warriors announced that minority owner Mark Stevens would be fined $500,000 and banned for a year.
- Mark Stevens, a billionaire venture capitalist who is also a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors, shoved Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
- In a joint statement, the NBA and the Warriors announced that Stevens would be fined $500,000 for his actions, as well as being barred from attending NBA games or any team activities with the Warriors for one year.
- Before the statement, numerous fans, athletes, and reporters called on Stevens to be barred from ever attending a game again, with some going as far as calling for him to be forced to sell his stake in the team.
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Golden State Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens has been fined $500,000 and barred from attending NBA games and team activities for one year.
The announcement was made in a joint statement from the Warriors and the NBA, which cited "pushing and directing obscene language toward" Raptors guard Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
The fracas began early in the fourth quarter when Lowry leaped into the crowd to chase after a loose ball. While he was getting up, a fan sitting courtside reached over and shoved Lowry, and was later escorted from the courtside seats.
Before the identity of the fan was known, Lowry had already called for him to be barred from NBA games for life. When it was revealed that it was Stevens, a minority owner of the Warriors and thus a representative of the league, who had been involved in the interaction, calls for more aggressive measures were made.
LeBron James posted on Instagram that "swift action" needed to be taken regarding Stevens' relationship with the team, adding that there is no place in the league for such behavior in the league.
Both the Warriors and the league put out statements earlier on Thursday that admonished Stevens' actions, adding that he would not be attending any of the games remaining in the 2019 NBA Final.
With their joint statement, the league and the Warriors have added a $500,000 fine and a one-year ban from attending games or team activities to his punishment.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals is set for Friday in Golden State, with Toronto currently holding a 2-1 lead and hoping to win their first championship in franchise history.
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