The latest inappropriate fan conduct occurs just a few days after a Philly fan dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook's head as the basketball player left the court with an injury.
- May 31, 2021
AceShowbiz - Kyrie Irving is the latest NBA star who has suffered mistreatment from a fan. A Boston Celtics fan threw a water bottle at the Brooklyn Nets player during a game between the Celtics and Nets at TD Garden on Sunday, May 30.
In footage from the incident, the small forward/power forward was walking off the court after the Nets' Game 4 win over the Celtics. A water bottle was thrown at his head as he was heading toward the tunnel, prompting immediate reaction from Kyrie, other Nets players and the crew nearby.
In another video capturing the incident, the irate fan was seen being stopped by several crew members as he appeared to be trying to follow Kyrie into the tunnel. According to the Boston Globe's National NBA writer Gary Washburn, the fan was apprehended and is now being detained.
The incident has naturally angered other NBA players. Nets star Kevin Durant spoke up of the fan's ugly action, "Fans gotta grow up at some point. I know that being in the house for a year-and-a-half with the pandemic got a lot of people on edge, got a lot of people stressed out. But when you come into these games, you gotta realize these men are human."
Asking fans to respect players, he continued, "We're not animals; we're not in a circus. You coming to the game is not all about you as a fan. Have some respect for the game, have some respect for these human beings and have some respect for yourself." He reiterated his message to the fans, "Grow the f**k up and enjoy the game. It's bigger than you."
James Harden said such action is "really unacceptable." He explained, "These fans should come in and boo or cheer or do whatever they gotta do. But throwing things and disrespectful language, it's ridiculous at this point." Asking for protection for NBA players, he shared, "There's something that gotta be enforced with the NBA as far as fans. Somebody has to be made an example. I don’t think just banning fans from the arena is good enough because continuous, you see at different arenas, fans continue to do it. Something has to be put in place."
Bruce Brown also weighed in on it, saying, "That's crazy. That shouldn't be a part of this game or even in the arena. I think the person who did it should be banned. That can't happen at any arena." Agreeing, Jayson Tatum added, "... obviously, there's no place in the NBA for throwing bottles, for throwing anything at a player. So, I'm sure that they'll handle that right away. But there's no place for that in the NBA."
Just several days before, a Philly fan dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook's head as he exited the court with an injury during Washington Wizards-Philadelphia 76ers Game 2. The incident enraged LeBron James who tweeted afterward, "By the way WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!! There's cameras all over arenas so there's no excuse! Cause if the [shoe] was on the other [foot]. #ProtectOutPlayers."
