Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic roughed up an owner of an opposing NBA franchise —during the NBA playoffs and without home-court advantage — during Sunday’s Game 4 loss to the Phoenix Suns. With two and a half minutes left in the second quarter, Josh Okogie of the Suns flew into the front row, and the basketball ended up in the hands of Suns owner Matt Ishbia.
What happened next is a series of events that, when seen through a cultural lens, was either perplexing or perfectly normal.
Jokic tried to grab the ball from what he thought was a courtside fan, hoping to inbound and restart the game quickly with a five-on-four advantage. But when Ishbia resisted Jokic and the ball popped away, Jokic’s forearm made contact with Ishbia, who fell back into his seat. Jokic was assessed a technical foul by the refs.
Just A Tech?
“Jokic came to get the ball, grabbed it away from the fan, then after that he deliberately gave him a shove and pushed him down, so he was issued an unsportsmanlike technical foul,” the game’s refereeing crew chief, Tony Brothers, said after the game.
Brothers justified the ruling and opted against ejection because he believed Jokic “didn’t just run over and hit a fan; there was some engagement, so I deemed the technical foul the appropriate penalty.”
Ironically, Jokic deemed the fan, who he realized later was the Suns owner, as someone he needed to be protected from.
“The fan put a hand on me first,” Jokic said during the post-game presser. “I thought the league was supposed to protect us. Maybe I’m wrong. He’s a fan — I know who he is, but he’s a fan isn’t he?” Jokic added, acknowledging he was aware he had tangled with Ishbia. “He cannot influence the game by holding the ball.”
Oh, So You Can Touch Owners Now?
Game play protections aside, Jokic was given kid gloves treatment by the league and even eventually by the Phoenix Suns owner, who lobbied on his behalf via Twitter.
“Suspending or fining anyone over last night’s incident would not be right,” Ishbia wrote on Twitter Monday morning. “I have a lot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that.”
The words were crafted by an owner more concerned for his fans’ appreciation of Jokic’s competitiveness and the now-tied-up series than one with an ego and a score to settle with an opposing team.
Holding The League To A Standard
The Denver Nuggets went even further.
“I think it’s crazy that Nikola got a technical foul in that situation,” coach Michael Malone said. “He’s going to get the ball, and some fan is holding on to the ball like he wants to be a part of the game. Just give the ball up, man.”
Even when Malone was told the fan was Suns owner Matt Ishbia, he responded, “I don’t give a sh-t.”
Although Ishbia hindered the game’s flow, his evident focus was checking on his player. Jokic running over to get the ball and pushing away a “fan” he felt was too close might have looked different from a different player. Is it star privilege? Is it a pass due to heightened emotions in the playoffs? Probably all of the above.
By late afternoon on Monday, Jokić was fined $25,000 for making improper contact with a spectator sitting courtside, as announced today by Joe Dumars, the NBA executive vice president, head of basketball operations.
However, in the NBA, which is constantly being scrutinized for increased sensitivity to negative fan interactions, Jokic being aggressive at that moment was over the line. Suppose that is done again by a player of lesser stature or another culture to an owner not of the culture. In that case the repercussions will be scrutinized in the court of public opinion.
