Kyle Lowry wants fan who shoved him at NBA Finals banned from games

Tom Gatto

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Kyle Lowry wants fan who shoved him at NBA Finals banned from games image

Kyle Lowry drew unwanted contact from a fan sitting courtside during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday. The Raptors guard is calling for a permanent ejection of the spectator.

Lowry told reporters after Toronto's victory that he doesn't want the man who shoved him to step foot in an NBA arena again.

Lowry flew into the seats while chasing after the ball early in the fourth quarter, landing on several other spectators. The shove, which landed on Lowry's left shoulder, came from someone who was not in Lowry's path.

MORE: Game 3 as it happened

The offending fan was later ushered out of Oracle Arena.

UPDATE: In a statement released Thursday, the Warriors identified the fan who shoved Lowry as part-owner Mark Stevens.

"Mr. Stevens' behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization," the statement read. "We're extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate misconduct. There is no place for such interaction between fans — or anyone — and players at an NBA game.

"Mr. Stevens will not be in attendance at any of the remaining games of the 2019 NBA Finals. Review of this matter is ongoing."

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.