Mark Stevens, a Golden State Warriors minority owner who was handed a one-year ban by the NBA on Thursday for shoving Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry in Game 3, has apologized for the incident.
In a statement obtained by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Stevens says he accepts responsibility for the altercation and has attempted to reach Lowry personally.
I take full responsibility for my actions last night at the NBA Finals and am embarrassed by what transpired. What I did was wrong and there is no excuse for it. Mr. Lowry deserves better, and I have reached out today in an attempt to directly apologize to him and other members of the Raptors and Warriors organizations. I'm grateful to those who accepted my calls. I hope that Mr. Lowry and others impacted by this lapse in judgement understand that the behavior I demonstrated last night does not reflect the person I am or have been throughout my life. I made a mistake and I'm truly sorry. I need to be better and look forward to making it right.
I fully accept the punishment administered by the NBA and the Warriors.
With 10:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, Lowry attempted to save a loose ball by diving into the courtside seats and landed a few chairs away from Stevens. The investor then shoved Lowry in the shoulder and directed obscene language at the Raptors guard. A visibly upset Lowry immediately called on referees to take action and, minutes later, security escorted Stevens from his seat.
Stevens, who joined Golden State's ownership group in 2013, was also fined $500,000 and is forbidden to take part in any team activities for the next year.
Members of the Warriors sided with Lowry on Thursday, including forward Draymond Green, who praised the 33-year-old for keeping his cool in the heat of the moment.
"You have to give Kyle a lot of credit in the way he handled it," Green said, courtesy of 95.7 The Game. "You're playing in the NBA Finals so your emotions are running high. For him to handle it the way he did says a lot about his character, a lot about him as a man and the way he handles himself. That was great to see the way he handled that."