Yesterday during two separate games, NBA fans crossed the line. In Philadephia, Russell Westbrook was the target while in New York, Trae Young was.
As Westbrook was leaving the court with an injury, a fan above the tunnel leading to Washington’s locker room, dumbed popcorn on Westbrook.
Not surprisingly, Westbrook was irate as multiple security guards had to hold him back from attempting to confront the fan.
After the game, Westbrook addressed the situation and spoke on the repeated disrespect he gets from fans on the road.
“I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head because you know what happens,” Westbrook said “… In these arenas, you gotta start protecting the players. We’ll see what the NBA does.”
Also, LeBron James tweeted the league needed to find the individual who poured popcorn on Westbrook.
Not only did the league find the fan, but they also banned him.
“After an investigation into the incident that occurred at last night’s game, we have determined that the person involved will have his season ticket membership revoked, effectively immediately,” shared Valerie Camillo, Wells Fargo Center’s president of business operations. “In addition, he will be banned from all events at Wells Fargo Center indefinitely. We apologize to Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards for being subjected to this type of unacceptable and disrespectful behavior. there is no place for it in our sport or arena.”
Knicks fan toward Trae Young
A fan at Madison Square Garden also received a ban from the arena. The unnamed fan can be seen on video spitting on Trey Young while he was inbounding the ball during the fourth period.
https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1397766076839206914
“We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young, and for that reason, he is now banned from The Garden indefinitely,” the Knicks franchise said. “We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan’s behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue. We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities,” the team said.
Young’s dad, Ray Young, addressed not only his son being spit on, but the fan throwing popcorn at Westbrook as well.
The league released the following statement on fan behavior:
