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Former Laker Will Not Face Criminal Charges After Controversial Sideline Incident

Matt Levine

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Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley will not be facing charges for a sideline incident that took place during this past year's postseason. A Marion County Prosecutor's Office spokesman told Mike Vorkunov and Shams Charania of The Athletic that Beverley wouldn't have charges placed against him.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was looking into the incident so the news for them to not press charges is likely a weight off Beverley's mind. He can now focus on basketball going forward rather than this situation.

Beverley got into an altercation with a fan late in a game during the Milwaukee Bucks first-round series with the Indiana Pacers. He threw a basketball at some heckling fans toward the end of Game 6 and the ball hit one of the fans in the head.

It landed with another fan who threw it back toward Beverley on the bench. The Bucks guard then proceeded to throw the ball back to the fan.

Beverley was suspended by the NBA for four games for the situation. However, Beverley ended up signing with Israeli Basketball Premier League club Hapoel Tel Aviv so he will avoid the suspension, at least for right now.

Beverley may never return to the NBA considering he is 36 years old, but if he ever does come back, the suspension would need to be served. The three-time All-Defensive Team guard has been a controversial player throughout most of his career but the incident with the fans may have been the final straw for his career in the league.

He spent half a season with the Lakers during the 2022-23 year before Los Angeles traded him to the Orlando Magic for center Mo Bomba. Beverley averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for Los Angeles over 45 games.

After being traded, he was let go by the Magic and signed with the Chicago Bulls for the remainder of the season. He spent last season between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.6 steals per game.

He has been known as a defensive pest throughout his career, helping whatever team he is on be a problem for opposing teams. His signing with an Israeli team isn't his first overseas stint as Beverley previously played for Dnipro in Ukraine, Olympiacos in Greece, and the Russian team Spartak St. Petersburg.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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