NBA players have held tense meetings with the league and NBA Players Association this week amid their boycotts, but Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac says any talk of Patrick Beverley stepping out of line is inaccurate.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports published a story on Thursday night providing a behind-the-scenes look at some of what has gone on in Orlando since the shooting of Jacob Blake. At one point, Haynes says NBPA executive director Michele Roberts spoke to players about the financial ramifications of ending the season and leaving Orlando. Beverley disagreed with Roberts’ logic when she was going over numbers and interrupted her multiple times. When she asked if she could finish making her point, Beverley reportedly shot back, “No, I pay your salary.”
Sources told Haynes that NBPA president Chris Paul and other veteran players intervened and told Beverley the type of disrespect he showed Roberts will not be tolerated. Zubac claims that never happened. On Friday, Zubac shot down the report on Twitter and said “Pat never said anything like this.”
I don’t know who leaks this stuff, but Pat never said anything like this… https://t.co/HYyUuugekL
— Ivica Zubac (@ivicazubac) August 28, 2020
Only those who were in the meeting know what happened. If Haynes’ report was accurate, it sounds like Beverley owes Roberts an apology. If it wasn’t, Zubac shouldn’t be the only one who defends Beverley.
This isn’t the first we have heard about meetings involving players becoming contentious this week.
