Police confirm Ujiri identified himself to deputy, showed credentials

Masai Ujiri did present NBA identification to the sheriff's deputy who refused to allow him onto the Oracle Arena court after the Toronto Raptors' NBA Finals victory, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office told Robyn Doolittle of The Globe and Mail.

The Raptors president of basketball operations was involved in an altercation with the deputy following Game 6. Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Ray Kelly said last week that the deputy tried to stop Ujiri from entering the court because he "had no credential displayed, and our deputy asked for his credential."

The Sheriff's Office has now also confirmed that Ujiri told the deputy what his role with the team was before their confrontation.

However, police say Ujiri didn't have the correct credentials required to enter the court. Kelly told Doolittle that the Raptors executive presented his credentials in a "very threatening kind of way" in the deputy's face. The officer then pushed Ujiri away because he felt his personal space was being violated, according to Kelly.

Kelly said that video footage from Oracle Arena captured Ujiri retaliating by striking the deputy in the face with "two fists," one of which landed "underneath his jaw on the left side of his face." The body camera on the deputy switched off once Ujiri made contact, according to police.

The deputy has hired a high-profile civil rights attorney and may file a lawsuit against Ujiri, the Raptors, and the NBA. Police say the deputy isn't working due to a concussion and jaw injury suffered from the incident.

The Sheriff's Office and the Oakland Police Department are investigating the confrontation and are expected to file reports with the district attorney's office soon, according to Doolittle. From there, it will be determined if charges will be laid against Ujiri.