#Telling new video emerges from Masai Ujiri’s NBA Finals altercation

Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri filed a countersuit against the San Francisco Bay Area police officer he had an altercation with while trying to make his way to the floor after the Raptors won Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

The suit, which includes new video footage that proves Officer Alan Strickland was the aggressor, was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California.

In the video, Strickland can be seen grabbing Ujiri by the suit jacket and shoving him before telling him to “back the f—k up.” Ujiri was attempting to show his credential in order to reach the Oracle Arena floor to celebrate the franchise’s first championship with the Raptors defeating the Golden State Warriors.

After the two exchanged some words, Ujiri held out his credential again. Strickland shoved Ujiri a second time, prompting Ujiri to retaliate and shove back. Once the two men were separated, Ujiri was finally able to make it onto the court to celebrate with his team.

“After being shoved and cursed at, Mr. Ujiri did not respond aggressively towards Mr. Strickland,” the suit says, per ESPN. “Instead, he calmly asked Mr. Strickland why he had pushed him, informed Mr. Strickland he was the Raptors’ President, and held up his all-access arena credential to show it to Mr. Strickland. Rather than trying to communicate with Mr. Ujiri, Mr. Strickland chose to dismiss Mr. Ujiri’s claim that he was the Raptors’ President and ignore the all-access credential Mr. Ujiri was trying to show him. Mr. Strickland then forcefully shoved Mr. Ujiri a second time.

“Only after being unjustifiably told to ‘back the f— up’ and shoved twice did Mr. Ujiri show any response and return a shove to Mr. Strickland’s chest. Mr. Ujiri’s defensive response was a reasonable and justified reaction to Mr. Strickland’s use of unnecessary and excessive force.”

Strickland filed a suit in February alleging that Ujiri assaulted him in the moments after Toronto’s win. As a result of the incident, Strickland said he “suffered injury to his body, health, strength, activity and person, all of which have caused and continue to cause Plaintiff great mental, emotional, psychological, physical, and nervous pain and suffering.”

Initially, Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern claimed that Ujiri struck Strickland’s jaw and shoulder and therefore called for Ujiri to be charged with battery of a police officer. However, following a months-long investigation and a meeting between the office, Ujiri and his lawyers in October, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office declined to press any charges.

Ujiri includes in his counter suit that Strickland falsified their encounter and attempted to portray Ujiri as “the initial aggressor and an inherently violent individual.” The suit goes as far to call Strickland’s account “a complete fabrication” that has been contradicted by video footage.