"F**king inexcusable" - Anna Horford advocates 'lifetime ban' on Heat fan for heckling Russell Westbrook
A Miami Heat fan landed hismelf in hot water this week when he and LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook were involved in a verbal spat. The man, who had been sitting courtside, was caught on video heckling Westbrook. Among the things the fan called him was "boy". The term, which has racial undertones in America dating back to the 1700s and 1800s, resulted in the Heat fan being thrown out.
Many fans appeared to be on Westbrook's side throughout the courtside altercation and aftermath. Of course, this isn't the first time a courtside fan has heckled Westbrook and later been ejected from the stands.
The former MVP once famously proclaimed that he stopped bringing his wife and kids to games when he played for the Lakers due to hecklers. Although, now he has found a home for himself with the Clippers. While on the road, Westbrook has continued to deal with criticism from opposing fans.
Not every encounter has seen quesitionable language used like this week's incident with a Heat fan. The latest situation saw Al Horford's sister weigh in. In a post made on social media, Anna Horford shared her thoughts on the matter, writing:
"NBA fans always say Boston is bad… Pay attention to Florida. F*cking inexcusable. They better give him a lifetime ban."
Looking at Russel Westbrook's previous run-ins with hecklers after incident with Miami Heat fan
As previously mentioned, Russell Westbrook has had several incidents in the past with fans while playing on the road. There have even been several incidents while playing at home. Many instances of hecklers during his time with the LA Lakers were fans who were unhappy with his play, but things are different on the road.
Back in 2019, when Westbrook was playing for the OKC Thunder, a Jazz fan allegedly hurled racial taunts at him mid-game. At the time, it was unclear what racial remarks the fan made. However, Westbrook's reaction spoke volumes.
In response, the Jazz organization issued a lifetime ban of the fan, who responded by filing a lawsuit against the team. It was dismissed in court. Since then, Westbrook has been involved with verbal spats when fans refer to him as "Westbrick."
Earlier this season, Westbrook called out a fan who was chirping him from the stands pre-game. While the fan came down from the stands and repeated his comments to the former MVP as instructed, things never escalated further. There were also no racist remarks made.
So far, it's uncelar how the Miami Heat will respond to the latest situation given the fact that the comments made by the patron had racial undertones. Based on Anna Horford's post, there's at least one person who wants the Heat fan hit with a lifetime ban.