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Report: Deputy involved in alleged altercation with Masai Ujiri set to pursue lawsuit

Jun 13, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrate beating the Golden State Warriors in game six of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions now, and it appears the haters are coming hard beginning with the team president.

After things seemed to quieten down since Masai Ujiri’s alleged bust-up after Game 6 of the NBA Finals with a deputy from the Alameda County Sheriff’s office in Oakland, a report emerged on Monday that the deputy has now hired David Mastagni, a high-profile civil rights attorney, to pursue a possible lawsuit.

The deputy claims he hasn’t been able to return to work due to a concussion and serious jaw injury since the “unprovoked attack.”

Katie Nielsen of KPIX 5 also reports that the body camera video of the deputy along with security camera footage from Oracle Arena has led Sheriff Greg Ahern to “fully support” the deputy and the case will be moved forward to the District Attorney for criminal charges of misdemeanour battery of a police officer.

The videos are not being released as they are currently part of the investigation and the Raptors organization is believed to be fully cooperating with authorities.

After Toronto defeated Golden State 114-110 to win the NBA championship on the road, Ujiri looked to gain access to the court, but was denied by the deputy for not wearing his credentials. Multiple images and videos have shown that the Raptors president had the credentials in his hand, leading to questions about the entire incident.

Kyle Lowry was able to pull Ujiri away and onto the court for the celebrations, but it appears the Alameda County Sheriff's Office seems intent on pulling him back in.

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