Plenty of NBA players, including Nikola Jokic, have received criticism for flopping over the years, it turns out, it’s not just the athletes who like to put on an act. Now we’ve seen it all, including Phoenix Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia work his flopping magic to draw a technical foul on Jokic in the second quarter of their Game 3 Semifinals matchup.
It all went down with just 2:36 remaining in the second quarter after Jokic blocked a DeAndre Ayton shot attempt at the rim, which caused the ball to head toward the corner of the court. Then Phoenix’s Josh Okogie and Denver’s Jamal Murray both made an effort to grab the loose ball as Okogie went crashing into the crowd in the first few rows.
For whatever reason, Jokic, who was standing near the paint, decided to go toward the off-court scrum, apparently in pursuit of the ball after the whistle. This proved to be a bad decision for the two-time MVP.
Jokic would end up trying to take the ball away from the fan who was holding it, shoving/elbowing the spectator in the chest. That fan turned out to be Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who, yeah, might have flopped a bit as he went down like a bowling pin. But he likely wasn’t expecting to be shoved by a 6-foot-11 NBA athlete, either.
It’s a classic scenario, as Ishbia was actually a bit of a hooper himself, winning an NCAA Tournament while playing at Michigan State for legendary coach Tom Izzo before becoming a billionaire businessman.
Ultimately, Ishbia drew the foul, with Jokic being whistled for the technical. Ishbia didn’t seem any worse off, getting up and giving a quick clap in support of the referee’s call.
It was one of the oddest scenarios we’ll see in the NBA Playoffs this year, even leading to another nearby Suns fan being ejected for briefly making contact with the Nuggets superstar. But both Jokic and Ishbia were allowed to remain in the Footprint Center.