Patrick Beverley wore an Ivica Zubac jersey to a Clippers game and reminded NBA Twitter why his former teams love him
Patrick Beverley's reputation with his former teammates remains pristine for a reason.
NBA Twitter is quite the place. It’ll build a narrative, get some traction and then spin that biased narrative to a specific audience over and over. My favorite lie that NBA Twitter has told is that Patrick Beverly is the most hated player in the NBA, that he’s a bum, and something something trick y’all, something something just running around.
Those viral moments are funny and sometimes stick, even if wildly untrue. But again, it’s an easy narrative to drive on social media to an audience that is into those sorts of things. To be fair, some of the slander is self-inflicted. There’s undoubtedly some calculated trolling within Beverley’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win, and that gets under people’s skin. But Pat Bev seems to embrace it.
Troll activities aside, I’m willing to bet most teams would love to have a Patrick Beverley on their side, and most players would love to have him as a teammate. How do I know this? Well, Beverley is in his 10th NBA season and just signed a $13 million contract extension.
Besides holding a career 37.8 three-point percentage and an All-NBA defender resume, he’s been the starting point guard on seven playoff teams (on his way to eight) and has changed the culture everywhere he’s played. Don’t believe me? Ask the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves fans (less than one year in) if they’re ready to have Pat Bev’s jersey retired.
You’ll get a resounding yes. And it’s why he can do things like return to Crypto.com Arena (formerly STAPLES Center) and sit courtside with a Clippers jersey on and cheer on his former teammates.
Needless to say, Pat Bev is one of a kind. You either love him or you hate him. But do not discredit his career. Take the trash takes elsewhere.