5 times NBA players got into it with fans
NBA games can be intense at times, and players get very emotional about it. Meanwhile, fans can be heavily invested in their team and would do anything to support them.
Sometimes, players and fans clash during games, but things rarely gets physical. Fan incidents have been pretty common over the past few years, but nothing has turned into the next Malice in the Palace.
However, some people could see a fan incident possibly turning into something of a PR nightmare for the league. Players have been very vocal about fans getting away with cursing, but they can't do anything about it, as they will get fined.
Instances when NBA players got into it with fans
There have been plenty of instances where fans might have crossed the line with players in recent years. We're going to look at five of them in detail.
It should be noted that there have only been two known incidents of NBA players getting physical with fans during a game. Vernon Maxwell punched a fan in Portland in 1995 before the infamous Malice in the Palace in 2004.
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#5 Celtics fan throws water bottle at Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving does not have a lot of fans in Boston. He played two seasons for the Celtics before leaving them to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. His relationship with the city is non-existent, and Celtics fans have given him a tough time every time he plays there.
However, one fan crossed the line following Game 4 of the first round matchup between the Nets and Celtics in 2021. After the Nets took a 3-1 lead, a fan threw a water bottle at Irving. It didn't hit the All-Star guard, but the fan was arrested and charged with assault.
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#4 Chris Paul gets furious at Mav fans for harrassing his family
In the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, Chris Paul was furious at a Mavs fan for harrassing his family in Game 4 in Dallas. The fan allegedly kept touching Paul's mother and was very unruly the entire game.
When Paul found out about what was happening, many people had to restrain him. A couple of fans were ejected out of the arena, and the Mavericks banned them from the American Airlines Arena until 2023.
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#3 Bradley Beal slaps a fan's hat over lost parlay
Bradley Beal got into it with a couple of Orlando Magic fans in March. Beal was getting heckled, as he screwed up the fans' parlay. The Washington Wizards star allegedly knocked the hat off one of the fans during the exchange.
According to TMZ Sports, the fan filed a complaint against Beal less than 24 hours after the incident in the NBA game. The Orlando Police Department is also investigating whether Beal committed battery or not.
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is under police investigation after a confrontation with fans who heckled the NBA star over a lost bet following a game last week, TMZ Sports has learned. tmz.com/2023/03/28/bra…
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#2 LeBron James kicks out Pacers fans
LeBron James has had a long career in the NBA, so he's had his fair share of incidents with fans. While most of them are harmless, it got to a point where James was offended by what fans said, and they got kicked out of the arena for that.
The incident took place during the 2020-21 season in Indiana. James capped of his game by making sure that the Pacers fans won't go home happy by winning the game. The highlight of the night, though, was when "The King" pointed to a couple of fans, who were saying a lot to him and got them thrown out.
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#1 Russell Westbrook's multiple incidents over the years
Russell Westbrook probably has the most fan incidents among NBA players. Whether he was with the OKC Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, LA Lakers or LA Clippers, Westbrook has got into it with fans multiple times.
A fan in Denver got into Westbrook after the Nuggets defeated the Thunder. He got angry with a Rockets fan when they were inside the bubble. He almost fought a fan during the playoffs when he was with the Wizards and had to restrained.
The former MVP was heckled a lot during his time with the Lakers and recently got into it with a Suns fan in the hallway during the NBA playoffs. He has also been targeted by Utah Jazz fans over the years. It has been a recurring theme for Westbrook, so it's surprising that he hasn't gotten physical with fans yet.
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