Newly released video footage this week showed a California sheriff’s deputy was “undeniably the initial aggressor” in a confrontation in 2019 with an NBA team president, lawyers for the team official said Tuesday.
The incident took place June 13, 2019, at the Oracle Arena, just after the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-100. The video shows Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy Alan Strickland stopping Raptors president Masai Ujiri as he attempts to walk onto the basketball court to congratulate his team after the end of the game.
Strickland was attempting to check whether Ujiri had proper credentials authorizing him to step onto the court, to which he suddenly pushed him not once, but twice.
“Back the f— up,” Strickland shouted to Ujiri.
“Why did you push me?” Ujiri shouts back. “I’m president of the Raptors.”
Raptors veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has weighed in on the matter and noted that these are exactly the type of transgressions that inspire him to continue fighting for social justice.
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Strickland also filed a worker’s compensation claim, alleging Ujiri “circumvented” a security checkpoint, tried to “storm” the court and struck the deputy with both fists.
He has not returned back to work since the incident.
