After a tough loss and playoff elimination at the hands of the surprising Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks guard and notorious NBA character Pat Beverley seemed visibly upset while fielding questions during his postgame presser, which lead to an odd exchange between Beverley and a female reporter, ESPN producer Malinda Adams.
“Did you subscribe to my pod”?
Adams replied: No
Beverley said, “You can’t interview me then. No disrespect.”
As the reporter continued to try and interview Beverley, thrusting the microphone into his face, Beverly halted the interview and pushed her mic away, asking her to “get the mic out of my face, please.”
The reporter continued to put the mic in his face, closer to his mouth than any of the other microphones, and she was standing at an odd angle in comparison to everyone else. Beverly asked her to remove the microphone and stand in the circle with the other reporters, if she has not subscribed to his podcast. it should be noted he did say “mam” and “please” several times.
Of course, opportunists and media trolls tried to make it a situation where Beverley disrespected the reporter because she was a woman. It also sparked a wide range of reactions on social media, from people who never stepped in a locker room or dealt with a losing team after a frustrating loss.
One social media post read:
“Disturbing: That @patbev21 acting like a fool to this female journalist. he directly impeded her & attempted to intimidate her. Flat out wrong. More disturbing: all her male counterparts stood by, allowed this & did absolutely nothing. That is some weak ass crap. Cowards!”
The incident also has raised questions about the intersection of sports, media, and personal branding,
Who Was The Reporter That Bothered Patrick Beverley?
ESPN producer Malinda Adams was the person Beverley refused the interview with. To assume that he did it because she was a woman and to assume that other male reporters trying to do their jobs as well were supposed to “come to her defense” is a reach.
It might have been unusual and even unreasonable for Beverley to ask the reporter if she’s subscribed to his podcast or to change the position from which she was conducting her recording, but we don’t know the history of the two or why he personally felt she should have been checking out his podcast prior to interviewing him.
Journalism is not an exact science and reporting takes ingenuity, flexibility and a thick skin. That’s just how the game goes for men and women.
Gender discrimination accusations seem to be a go-to complaint anytime something doesn’t happen for a woman reporter the way she likes. I’ve seen male reporters get stepped on, attacked, even get into a near fight with players, so Adams shouldn’t feel that bad.
Sometimes, getting disrespected by a player or not getting the reaction you want is called learning the game and paying dues. And we know Bevs can be an a-hole when he wants to. It’s part of his character.
Patrick Beverley Hit A Fan After Tossing Ball In Stands
Prior to the exchange with the reporter, cameras showed Beverley sitting on the bench and tossing a ball into the stands and hitting a fan with about 2:30 left in Milwaukee’s 120-98 Game 6 loss at Indiana that knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs.
A different fan threw the ball back to Beverley, who was holding his arm out for it and the Bucks guard fired it back at that spectator. He really doesn’t discriminate when it comes to his levels of frustration and instigating negative results.
On the bright side, this incident also brings said reporter a nice amount of national attention. Whereas nobody knew her before the exchange with Beverley, now Adams’ profile has been elevated and the sympathy will undoubtedly bring her more career opportunities.
He also apologized after the public pressure and Adams was more than glad to let everyone know.
Players aren’t going to smile at you and be accommodating after every big loss.
It was unfair for Beverley to single her out like that, but at the same time, she won’t be the first or last reporter to get some feedback they didn’t want or expect from a basketball player. Especially after a huge playoff loss.
That’s just part of the game. Players don’t have to answer every question from every reporter and aren’t obligated to interact with them in a forthcoming manner cooperate with any reporters. Sometimes the chemistry just isn’t there.
Adams will shake this off and be just fine. She’s a longtime veteran of the game and understands how difficult it can be navigating as a reporter in high intensity and emotional atmospheres.
