Masai Ujiri’s post-championship exuberance might prove costly.
The deputy sheriff that Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations allegedly struck and pushed Thursday night at Oracle Arena has hired an attorney and is considering suing him, the team and the NBA, according to KPIX’s Katie Nielsen. The attorney, David Mastagni, claims Ujiri injured his client’s jaw and caused a concussion, with the injuries keeping him out of work since the incident.
Ujiri and the deputy sheriff were involved in an altercation immediately following the Raptors’ NBA Finals-clinching win over the Golden State Warriors when the officer denied the executive entry onto the court because he didn’t have the proper credentials.
Nielsen also reports Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern personally watched body-camera footage of the incident and fully supports the deputy. Ahern’s office will recommend Alameda County district attorneys pursue a criminal charge of misdemeanor battery on an officer.
Officers didn’t take Ujiri into custody, and he was allowed to celebrate the Raptors’ triumph with other members of the team. But the long arm of the law ultimately might snag him amid the post-title jubilation.
