National Basketball Association

Beasley shoves fan at pickup game

Published Aug. 4, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Michael Beasley shoved a heckler in the face with his hand during a playground game, but the Minnesota Timberwolves forward later sought out the fan and shook his hand.

In the second half of a summer league game at Dyckman Park in Washington Heights, Beasley was jawing back and forth with a fan who was getting on his case. Then Beasley shoved the fan's face and security intervened. A guard and teammates led the former Kansas State star away from the fan, though Beasley later shook the fan's hand.

Adris De Leon, a neighborhood legend known as '2 Hard 2 Guard' and who plays for Team Nike, thought Beasley was out of line for going after the fan. De Leon said that playing in that type of atmosphere, you have to be ready to be taunted by the fans.

"He did disrespect him a lot," De Leon said of Beasley's shoving.

Beasley's Team 914 eventually beat Kevin Durant's Team Nike 80-77, though the Oklahoma City star scored 32 points. On Monday night, Durant scored 66 points at Harlem's famous Rucker Park.

From the start, Beasley interacted with the fans. With his team up 18-9 he yelled at some fans and said "We're going to win!"

Durant and Beasley, who finished with 21 points, guarded each other throughout the game and during one stretch in the game went shot for shot. Durant backed Beasley down and turned around to score on a fadeaway jumper. On another Beasley drove right by Durant for an easy layup.

It was Durant's third game in four days in New York City summer league games.

One fan got Durant's attention and told him to go for 100. On Tuesday night, Durant followed up his night at Rucker by adding 41 points in the Pro City league at Baruch College.