Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesIn the case of Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry, not only is poor sportsmanship in bad taste, but apparently it's criminal as well. According to Mark Berman of my FOX Houston, Lowry has been charged with misdemeanor battery after an incident stemming from a pick-up basketball game in September.
According to the report, Lowry and other NBA players competed in a game in Las Vegas, but things got heated afterwards. Lowry reportedly twice threw a basketball in a malicious manner at female referee Infini Robinson, and threatened her as well.
UPDATE: CBS 8 News Now of Las Vegas is reporting that a warrant has now been issued for Lowry's arrest for his role in the incident. Lowry has been charged with two counts of battery, but there is no word on how Lowry plans to resolve the warrant.
Lowry is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 2. He reportedly faces up to six months in jail or a fine that could reach $1,000. The charges come despite the assertion that Lowry apologized to Robinson after his outburst.
Over the past year, Lowry has developed into a solid NBA player and has begun to get national recognition. An incident like this presents him in a terrible light, however. If he can't control his emotions in a meaningless game, then who's to say he won't verbally or physically accost an NBA official?
The two male referees who were officiating the game corroborated Robinson's story and said that Lowry was abusive to all of them throughout the game. Referee Bobby McRoy in particular believes that Lowry can't control his emotions, according to investigators:
Lowry was abusive with him as well and believes that he has an anger problem. He said during the game Lowry was verbally combative and confrontational to the victim leading up to the incident where he battered her twice with basketballs.
Since Lowry didn't actually strike Robinson with his fist, and because he apologized, I don't think he will be serving any jail time. That means that he will likely be fined the maximum amount of $1,000 and be on his merry way without even a small dent in his bank account.
This may not be an incident that deserves jail time, but I think a few days in the slammer would do more to deter Lowry than a small fine. He clearly has rage issues if he can't keep it together in an unimportant game, and he needs to learn how to keep that in check.
Throwing the ball at any referee is absolutely wrong, but doing it to a female makes Lowry look even worse. Robinson likely was just trying to do her job and make a modest living, but a diva like Lowry couldn't handle what he perceived to be bad calls. I think it's safe to say that the charges are warranted.
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