Nuggets star Nikola Jokic buries the hatchet with Mat Ishbia… shaking the new Suns owner’s hand
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic buries the hatchet with Mat Ishbia…shakes hands with new Suns owner and jokingly hands him a basketball after a shoving incident in Game 4
- Jokic and Ishbia were seen hugging before Game 5 in Denver Tuesday
- The player shoved the owner during Game 4, resulting in a $25,000 fine
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The sideline fracas between Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic and Suns owner Matt Ishbia over the weekend is apparently a case of days gone by.
Jokic, who was fined $25,000 by the NBA for making contact with Ishbia during Game 4, turned the ball to Ishbia at midcourt Tuesday night after he finished warming up for Game 5.
Ishbia laughed as he caught the ball and stood up to greet Jokic. The two men shared a bro hug and brief remarks before Jokic continued to the tunnel with a smile and Ishbia, also grinning, rolled the ball back onto the pitch.
Things didn’t go so well between the two 48 hours earlier when Jokic tried to take the ball from the new Suns owner sitting next to the court after a Suns player knocked him out of bounds and fell into the seats.
Ishbia wouldn’t let go, preventing Jokic from quickly handing it to an official for a 5 vs. 4 break. Jokic took an exception and elbowed Ishbia, making a technical foul.
Nikola Jokic and Suns owner Mat Ishbia of Denver hugged it out after a shoving incident Sunday
Jokic came into contact with Ishbia on Sunday during a dead ball spell in Game 4 in Phoenix
Jokic finished with 53 points in a losing effort against Ishbia’s Suns to tie the series at 2-2
Ishbia lobbied the league not to suspend the two-time NBA MVP on Monday, when Jokic was fined $25,000 but not ordered to sit out Tuesday night’s game in Denver.
The fight overshadowed the game and set social media on fire, with some calling Ishbia a flopper who should have been punished like any other fan for disrupting the flow of the game and others suggesting that Jokic deserved a suspension for shoving from a spectator.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Monday that the only one who should be fined was Ishbia for flopping. On Tuesday, he called Jokic’s $25,000 fine “Old news now.” We are preparing for Game 5 for the best fans in the world.
“That’s what our whole focus is on right now, trying to find a way to regain control of the series.”