Mark Stevens fined, banned through 2020

The NBA has come down on Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens following his inexcusable actions during Game 3. During the Warriors loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Stevens - who was seated courtside - reached over a few seats to shove Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who had fallen into the stands.

Golden State quickly condemned Stevens’ actions, and announced that he would not be present at any more games during the NBA Finals.

But the punishment quickly got more severe, as the Warriors and the NBA collectively fined Stevens $500,000, and banned him from attending NBA games until the end of the 2019-20 season.

While some called for Stevens to receive a lifetime ban from NBA games, commissioner Adam Silver opted for one year. He explained the decision on Thursday, saying that Stevens was “extraordinarily apologetic” and “had no blemishes on his prior involvement” with the league.

Not surprisingly, Stevens issued a statement on Thursday as well, apologizing for his actions.

While the only punishment that’s been announced has been the fine and year-plus ban, that may not be the end of it for Stevens. A report on Thursday suggested that the Warriors ownership group will force Stevens to sell his shares of the team.

We’ll have to wait and see if that proves true.