[Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri]
Yahoo Sports: “Ujiri says, ‘What are you pushing me for? I’m the president of the Raptors.’ Strickland puts both hands in his chest and shoves him again. At that point, Ujiri does push Strickland back.”
Photo: YouTube
Newly released body-cam footage shows Toronto Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri being assaulted by a police officer after his team won last year’s NBA Finals in California.
The reminders never stop — they just come with different names and different faces.
On Tuesday night, attorneys for Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri released the body-cam video from Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland. The video is from the June 2019 night when the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, claiming the franchise’s first NBA championship.
The video shows Ujiri headed to the court to celebrate with players, his hand on an all-access pass that he appeared to be tucking into his jacket. It sounds like someone tells Ujiri to show the pass to Strickland, but before he can, Strickland appears to put a hand on Ujiri’s chest and shove him, telling him to “back the [expletive] up.”
Ujiri says, “What are you pushing me for? I’m the president of the Raptors.”
Strickland puts both hands in his chest and shoves him again. At that point, Ujiri does push Strickland back.
The biggest moment of Ujiri’s professional career, marred forever by him being mistreated and manhandled.
There was no reason for Strickland to become violent toward Ujiri at that moment, no excuse for his behavior. The 6-foot-4 former guard, 49 years old at the time, posed no threat, had the lanyard for his credentials wrapped around his hand and identified himself as the president of the team.
But Strickland wasn’t hearing him. And we’re not talking about crowd noise.
It’s another reminder for Black Americans, for marginalized Black people all over the world, that no matter what level of success is achieved, no matter what our income level, no matter what we’re wearing — Ujiri was in a charcoal gray suit, likely custom-made, and a Raptors-purple tie when the incident occurred — we’re never good enough, never accepted, never not hated by some people.
Read the rest of this Yahoo Sports story here: https://sports.yahoo.com/masai-ujiri-bodycam-footage-raptors-president-alameda-county-234734235.html
