[Grange] NBA commissioner Adam Silver has apologized to Masai Ujiri for comments he made in the wake of the Raptors president's disturbing confrontation with a sheriff’s deputy minutes after Toronto's first championship.

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Adam Silver wishes he could make his words go away and regrets even saying them.

The forward-thinking NBA commissioner recognizes that comments he made during an interview with HBO in 2019 regarding what was then an alleged assault by Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri on a police officer working security after Game 6 of the NBA Finals were poorly chosen at the time and more so given everything that has come out since.

“When I watch that last bit of the interview, in light of what we now know, I would love to take those words back,” Silver told Sportsnet during a recent phone interview. “[Masai] and I at this point have probably talked about that night 100 times since then. He has my full and unequivocal support.

“But I apologize to Masai for what I said in that interview…. Believe me, when I look at that now, I cringe when I watch it.”

 

But the piece also includes discussion of the disturbing confrontation Ujiri had with Alameda County sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland as he made his way to the on-court celebration after the horn sounded on the Raptors’ championship-deciding victory at Oracle Arena on June 13, 2019.

Ujiri was shoved forcefully twice by Strickland even as he was trying to present his NBA-issued credential. Ujiri then pushed back at the officer before they were separated and a clearly shaken Ujiri was escorted onto the floor by Raptors guard Kyle Lowry.

Shortly after the game, the Alameda sheriff’s office announced they would be investigating Ujiri for a misdemeanor assault.

Ujiri was never charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, though Strickland launched a lawsuit in February of 2020. Ujiri counter-sued, and the video evidence that came out last August as part of the suit clearly supported his version of events and showed Strickland’s claims to be false.

Earlier this month Strickland dropped his civil lawsuit and Ujiri dropped his counter-suit.

Otherwise, Ujiri has largely tied off what was a traumatizing moment that robbed him of what should have been an unfettered celebration and became a revealing and highly symbolic legal battle.

During an interview on Good Morning America on Wednesday – his first public comments on the subject since the legal matters were put to rest – Ujiri said the incident had spurred him to make change on behalf of others who have similar experiences at the hands of law enforcement.

“I lost a moment. People have lost their lives,” he said. “I say it as humbly as I can, maybe the privilege or the job that I have [means] I have to fight this.”