Nikola Jokic will be in the headlines for the next few days after his courtside altercation with Phoenix Suns’ owner Mat Ishbia has become a major talking point of Game 4.
The Suns won Game 4 despite Jokic dropping 53 points with 11 assists. Despite that, Jokic was heavily questioned about his skirmish with Ishbia after the ball went out of bounds, prompting the two-time MVP to question who the league is protecting.
“He told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put their hand on me first. I thought the league is supposed to protect us, or whatever. Maybe I am wrong, so we’ll see… I know who he is, but he’s a fan. Sitting courtside, he’s a fan. Doesn’t matter who he is, he can’t influence the game by holding the ball… His hands are on me, they’re not gonna protect me? They’re gonna protect the fan? Not me as a person, but I am talking about as a player. They don’t care but they should protect the players… He’s influencing the game. I think he’s supposed to get kicked out if he’s influencing the game.”
"He told me I was elbowing the fan, but the fan put their hand on me first. I thought the league is supposed to protect us… He's influencing the game. I think he's supposed to get kicked out."
Nikola Jokic on the incident with Suns owner Mat Ishbiapic.twitter.com/O2esgnfYx2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 8, 2023
Looking at the clip, it was clear that Ishbia hampered the situation by holding onto the ball and then letting it fly out of his hands when Jokic came to get it.
Phoenix Suns Owner Mat Ishbia getting into it with Jokic and selling the chicken wing. Absolute cinema.https://t.co/pU9Em4dJRC pic.twitter.com/AOZY5ZZPnv
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 8, 2023
Even if that’s the case, Jokic did elbow Ishbia after the ball was out of his hands, so some punishment could be possible. The technical was enough, so hopefully, it doesn’t escalate to a Game 5 suspension. Nuggets coach Michael Malone was also furious with the situation.
Is Nikola Jokic Right To Be Upset?
When you’re sitting courtside, no matter who you are off the court, at that moment you are attending the game as a fan. Ishbia may own the team but he doesn’t get to influence the game because of his status as an owner. He should’ve been more mindful about giving up the ball, but it’s fair to assume he knew what was happening.
Josh Okogie had crashed into the spectators sitting there and Ishbia was likely trying to give him some time to recover before the Nuggets inbounded the ball. That’s why Jokic rushed to get the ball and that could be why Ishbia decided to not give it up simply. Either way, everyone will hope this situation isn’t further investigated by the NBA to avoid a suspension for Jokic, as it breaks the competitive spirit of the series.
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