Patrick Beverley Ejected for Throwing Ball at Fan Who Said ‘F*ck Your Mom’

Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley isn’t afraid to stand up for himself when he thinks an injustice has occurred, and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday night when he was ejected against the Mavericks in the fourth quarter. Beverley was tossed after throwing the basketball at a fan, later identified as Don Knobler, who was heckling him. Beverley claims that the fan twice told him to “fuck your mother.”

This isn’t the first time Beverley has been involved in a fracas with a fan. He was investigated for confronting a Thunder fan in the playoffs in 2017. This time seems different, though, particularly because it was so overt—he threw the ball at the fan for everyone to see.

Here’s Beverley explaining what happened, and his rationale for being provoked, including the fact he had notified the refs and security was right there when the offensive language was being yelled.

Beverley makes a good point. There are certain lines you don’t cross as a fan, and while this one might seem arbitrary, and some fans will think it’s OK because “it’s just part of the game,” but where is the line? He tried to have the officials take care of it, or someone at the arena in Dallas, but this isn’t the first time a Mavs fan has so incensed a player, he reacts. A couple of weeks ago, Kevin Durant came over to a different Dallas fan and told them to “shut the fuck up.” Mavs fans are saucy, it seems.  

Pat the pest can be cantankerous. Earlier in the Mavs game, he chipped Dennis Smith Jr’s tooth while wrestling for the ball. He later went over to the Mavs bench to apologize, but then chastised them for not giving him enough credit for doing so.

While Pat can be self-aggrandizing, if his version of events are the truth, we’re not sure it’s fair to also penalize him with a suspension and fine, which is assuredly coming some time today.