Bucks guard Pat Beverley apologizes to ESPN producer after refusing to allow her to interview him
Following Milwaukee's Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers on May 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Bucks guard Patrick Beverley held a postgame media session with independent and team reporters. Beverley, who hosts an eponymous podcast, noticed ESPN producer Malinda Adams to his right. He asked Adams if she subscribed to his podcast, to which she said she did not.
"You can't interview me, then," he said. "No disrespect."
Beverley then said he would not entertain questions from her. But, she continued to hold her microphone for sound, however, and Beverley physically pushed the microphone away. He then said, "Can you move that mic please or just get out the circle please for me, please ma'am? If you're not subscribed to my pod, I appreciate it. Thank you."
Adams did eventually hand the device to a colleague and exit the group of media around Beverley.
Upon his arrival in Milwaukee via a trade on Feb. 8, Beverley routinely asked media members if they subscribed to his podcast, including the Journal Sentinel Bucks beat reporters. He posed the same question to other local and visiting team journalists.
If the answer was no, Beverley would not entertain questions from that person, but would still conduct interviews.
On Friday morning Adams wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that "I want to thank everyone for their kind words and support. I am humbled. Patrick Beverley just called me and apologized. I appreciate it and accept it. The Bucks also reached out to apologize. I've been in news for over 40 years and kindness and grace always win."
This interaction followed an incident on the court when Beverley threw a ball at multiple fans behind the Bucks bench while the game was still going.
When asked about that, Beverley said "No, don't worry about that. Nothing."
Doc Rivers coached Beverley in Los Angeles with the Clippers as well as this season and said on Friday he had a talk with the 35-year-old guard.
"I did," Rivers said. "I did right away because that's not the Milwaukee way or the Bucks way. We're better than that. Pat feels awful about that. He also understands emotionally -- this is an emotional game and things happen -- unfortunately, you're judged immediately and he let the emotions get the better of him.
"So, I'm glad that he called, that didn't come from us. We talked about things you just can't do and so I'm glad that he called because that call came from him, not us telling him to make that call. That was good. I had not seen that interview. I just heard that that happened.
"So we talked about that and then the ball-throwing incident. And he made the comment to me about what was being said back his way and I just said, 'I get it, but we're coaches and athletes, we're the entertainers or whatever we are, sometimes they can be in the wrong, but you just can't do those certain things.' And he knows that as well."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks guard Pat Beverley apologizes to ESPN producer
