Call it the Rocky Mountain High Road.
The dust appears to have settled between Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, 48 hours after the two were involved in a sideline kerfuffle that saw Jokic shove the Suns owner as Ishbia withheld a stray game ball from Jokic.
Before Tuesday’s Game 5 at Ball Arena in Denver, Jokic jovially tossed a ball to Ishbia, who was sitting courtside, as he jogged off the court.
The two shared a warm embrace and a smile before Jokic continued to the locker room.
All love between Jokic and Suns governor Mat Ishbia pre-game 🤝 pic.twitter.com/lSCseJkZy1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 10, 2023
VIDEO: Nikola Jokic greets #Suns Owner Mat Ishbia with a hug courtside before Game 5.
— Mark McClune (@MarkMcClune) May 10, 2023
Ishbia said he didn't think Jokic should be suspended for his push in Game 4. @NickKingSports will be live all night on @azfamily from Denver. pic.twitter.com/hxzzgcA3Kv
After the Game 4 skirmish, Jokic and Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Ishbia was out of line and shouldn’t be treated differently than any other fan sitting courtside who disrupted the flow of the game.
Ishbia posted on social media saying Jokic shouldn’t be punished for the exchange.
Jokic, who received a technical foul as a result of the incident, was also fined $25,000 by the league.
