Wizards players frustrated after yet another fan incident originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Just about every day now it seems there is an ugly incident at an NBA game involving a fan doing something no fan at a sporting event should ever do.
Monday's Game 4 between the Wizards and Sixers added a new one to the mix. During the third quarter a fan wearing a yellow sweatshirt ran onto the court during live action and slapped the backboard.
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The fan was immediately tackled by arena security, dragged down the tunnel and handcuffed. Soon after, the Wizards announced he has been banned from Capital One Arena and that they were pursuing criminal charges with D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department.
That type of punishment, however, has been levied against others in recent days. The fan in Philly who threw popcorn on Russell Westbrook, the fan in New York who spit on Trae Young, the fan in Boston who threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving and the fan who verbally assaulted Ja Morant's family in Utah. All of them were banned. Yet, each time another fan decided to do something stupid soon after.
Clearly, the deterrents in place aren't working and some on the Wizards are wondering what can be done to make sure this type of behavior is eliminated altogether.
"This is not a game or some s-- you can just kind of do whatever you want to do and run around and do whatever," Westbrook said. "This is our job. We take our job very seriously."
Some echoed what Irving said following his incident when a fan nearly hit him in the head with a water bottle. He and his teammate Kevin Durant said these events suggest fans do not see NBA players as people, but rather members of a circus act.
Several on the Wizards see it similarly.
"They think they can do whatever they want. They’ve gotta have a little more respect for us, for sure," Rui Hachimura said.
"Kyrie was right," Washington head coach Scott Brooks said.
Brooks spoke the longest about the incident. He went on for several minutes, ranting about everything from his skepticism about banning fans from arenas to how the security guard should be signed by the Washington Football Team because of his tackling ability. Washington head coach Ron Rivera happened to be at the game.
Brooks called the fans who have acted out "knuckleheads."
"It’s actually embarrassing for all those fans that do that. The NBA has great fans," he said.
"I didn’t have a father, but my mom, she would have never allowed me to even think about doing that. It’s a privilege to be [at an NBA game]."
Brooks said his mom would have grabbed a branch from the nearest tree and punished him with it. He mentioned several times about how the fans were raised.
Bradley Beal also had some strong language on the matter. He's had a few run-ins with fans in the past, including one who flipped him off from point blank range during a game at the Golden State Warriors in Oakland a few years back.
Beal was asked if he is starting to feel less safe, given all the recent happenings.
"I don’t feel less safe because I know no fan would try me individually. I mean, you can throw anything at me but you’re not going to approach me and try nothing. I know that," Beal said.
"I wouldn’t say less safe. I don’t want to use my hood slang, but these hands work."
