The Israeli basketball media better get those subscriptions to the Patrick Beverley podcast ready. That's because the NBA free agent guard is headed to Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv, he announced on social media.
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"They gave me everything I asked for... I couldn't refuse," he said, via the Pat Bev Pod account on X.
Speaking of his podcast, Beverley has been suspended by the NBA for four games for throwing a ball at a fan and his end-of-the-season rant against a reporter. He has also been banned from ESPN.
Should Beverley return to the NBA at some point, he will still have to serve out his suspension. For the record, he's been suspended by the league twice before.
Beverley, playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, hit an innocent female Indiana Pacers fan when throwing the ball into the stands during Game 6 of their first-round playoff matchup.
"It doesn't matter who he was trying to hit, you can't hit no lady ever. He hit that lady in the head." Charles Barkley said on the TNT Inside The NBA postgame show. "I've done stupid stuff, and I've got criticized. That's just wrong, he's going to get suspended for that. And that's going to be a good one too, because he didn't just do it once, he did it twice."
altercation between pat bev and pacers fans behind the bench pic.twitter.com/dfQpqSBv33
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 3, 2024
It didn't end there, as the 35-year-old Beverley continued to let his emotions get the best of him. Following the game, when being interviewed in the locker room, the 12th-year player had an uncomfortable interaction with ESPN reporter/field producer Malinda Adams.
Beverley told the ESPN reporter that she couldn't interview him during the media session, and here is how the exchange went:
Beverley turned to Adams, "You subscribe to my pod?
Adams responded, "Do I subscribe?... I do not."
Beverley stated, "You can't interview me then, no disrespect."
Adams then tried to sneakily put the mic near him for the rest of the interview, which Beverley saw and again scolded her, telling her to get the mic out of his face.
"Move that mic please or just get out the circle please for me, please ma'am, if you not subscribed to my pod."
Apparently, in order to talk with Beverley, it is a requirement to subscribe to his podcast, "The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone."
this is unfortunatley nothing new beverley has refused to talk to any of us in milwaukee who do not subscribe to his podcast since he arrived at the trade deadline https://t.co/SXbJUpd3iE
— jack maloney (@jackmaloneycbs) May 3, 2024
After the backlash, Beverley took to social media to reply to a video that showed him firing the ball into the stands. He called the video misleading.
As Beverley tweeted on X, "Not Fair at all. Exchanged between a fan and our ball club all night. We warned and asked for help all night. Not fair."
Beverley then later tweeted an apology in the morning saying, "But I have to be better. And I will."
The reporter who wasn't subscribed to Beverley's podcast also confirmed the player's personal apology, and she gave out a forgiving statement to give closure on the situation.
Nevertheless, despite the apology, ESPN still decided to ban Beverley from future guest appearances on any of the network's shows, due to his rude behavior. As a result, Beverley will be able to put all of his time and focus into his own podcast.
Beverley, who was acquired via trade from the 76ers earlier this season, saw his role increase this postseason, being that Bucks' superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were each dealing with injuries. In his ninth season appearing in the NBA playoffs, Beverley averaged 8.2 points (41% FG; 36.4% 3PT), 5.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 35 minutes per game.
(This post originally appeared on Hoops Wire and was republished with permission. Brandon Santomauro contributed to this report.)
