Pat Beverley of the Milwaukee Bucks suspended for incident with Indiana Pacers fans

INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA has made a decision on how to handle Patrick Beverley’s antics last week during the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers: a four-game suspension.

N.B.A Officials announced this on Thursday that the Bucks point guard will be suspended without pay for the first four games of next season for “forcibly throwing a ball several times” at Pacers fans in the final minutes of his team’s 120-98 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Video posted on social media and national television shows Bucks center Brook Lopez walking to the bench while Beverley holds a basketball in the corner of the screen. Then he throws the balls into the stands.

The ball thrown by Beverley first hits a woman sitting near the pitch in the head. A fan sitting next to the woman throws the ball back to the Bucks point guard before Beverley throws another aggressive chest pass into the stands. The second half can be seen below.

Beverley then takes a seat. He appears to be talking to some other fans in the crowd. The incident prompted security guards at the venue to intervene.

The point guard never appeared in the game again, and the Pacers ultimately won and advanced to the second round of the playoffs – the team’s first playoff series win in 10 years.

However, the instigator’s antics were not over yet.

After the game, Beverley refused to speak to an ESPN reporter who said she didn’t subscribe to his podcast. He eventually pushed the woman’s microphone away before asking her to leave the press pool.

The NBA cited both the “violent” ball throwing incident and “inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability” as reasons for the suspension in a press release posted on social media. The league did not say whether Beverley would also be fined.

Beverley may also face legal problems over fan interaction on the sidelines.

FOX59/CBS4 reported Wednesday that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is also investigating the incident. An IMPD police report dated May 2 confirms that an off-duty officer witnessed the interaction and that the department is now investigating.

For more information on IMPD’s investigation into Beverley and the point guard’s eventual apology for the antics, click here.