Completely avoidable controversy continues to plague the NBA Finals. On Thursday, local police arrested a Toronto Raptors fan for vulgar comments he made on live television earlier this week about Ayesha Curry, wife of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
Tristan Warkentin, a 28-year-old from Toronto, turned himself into authorities on Thursday morning. He faces a charge of mischief by interfering with the lawful operation of property. According to the Canadian Press, Warkentin is accused of using what police are calling “profane phrases” in a live TV interview on Sunday night following Game 2 of the Finals, a 109-104 Warriors victory.
Police began their investigation on Monday morning. Warkentin is scheduled to appear in court next month.
This development is just the latest off-court incident to color a series otherwise fraught with on-court intrigue ahead of Friday's crucial Game 4.
In the second half of Game 3, Toronto guard Kyle Lowry crashed into the courtside seats across the from the Golden State bench while chasing a loose ball. Though the spectators he actually made contact with reacted appropriately, a man seated two seats to the left of Lowry gave him an unprovoked shove, causing the Raptors point guard to appeal to the officials for action. The fan, later identified as Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens, was asked to leave the game shortly thereafter, and on Monday fined $500,000 and barred from attending any NBA games until the 2020-21 season.
The series-opener, meanwhile, may ultimately be best remembered for multiple interactions the Warriors had with Drake, a Raptors super-fan who sits courtside for home games. The music mogul, whose antics many thought crossed the line during the Eastern Conference Finals, went chest-to-chest with Steph Curry during a break in the action, and exchanged profane trash talk with Draymond Green after the final buzzer.
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