Philadelphia 76ers indefinitely ban fan responsible for throwing popcorn on Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook has been oft-bombarded throughout his career by opposition fans, with the most recent example coming against the Philadelphia 76ers. On Wednesday night, during Game 2 of the Washington Wizards matchup in Philly, Westbrook was headed to the locker room when he had popcorn poured over him by a Sixers fan.
Westbrook had just left the game early in the fourth quarter to receive treatment for a right ankle injury when the incident happened. After outcry from players around the league and pressure from the media and NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers have released a statement saying the fan in question has been banned for life from the Wells Fargo Center and has had his season tickets revoked.
Russell Westbrook's altercation with Philadelphia 76ers fan latest in guard's NBA career
Russell Westbrook is just one of those players that fans love to hate and wind up. Wednesday night's incident was just the latest in a long line of grief the 32-year-old has had to face on and off the court during his career.
When playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook had multiple run-ins with the Utah Jazz fanbase. In a fiesty first-round series between the two teams back in 2018, security had to intervene when Russ had some choice words for a fan who had leaned over the railing to shout at him as he walked off the court at half-time. After the Thunder lost that matchup, Westbrook appeared to swipe at a fan's phone who was filming him walking off the court.
Less than a year later, the Utah Jazz banned a fan and his wife for life from the Vivint Arena after they subjected Russell Westbrook to racial and inappropriate comments. The point guard was also fined $25,000 for his comments back at the fans from the court.
Therefore, the disrespect Russell Westbrook faced against the Philadelphia 76ers is unfortunately nothing new to him. While players accept booing and chants toward them from opposition fanbases, particularly in the playoffs, there is always a line that should not be crossed.
One of the leading voices among the league's players, LeBron James, weighed in on the incident on Twitter to show that it would not be tolerated.
The altercation between the Philadelphia 76ers fan and Russell Westbrook wasn't the only such incident in the NBA on Wednesday night. At MSG, a notoriously difficult place to play for opposition players, Trae Young faced his fair share of abuse from the Knicks fanbase.
While he has been relishing being the villain and dropping 30+ points, as well as the game-winner in Game 1, the grief from the Knicks fans reached a new level toward the end of Game 2. While taking an inbound pass, a video shows what appears to be spit coming in the direction of Young from a Knicks fan.
Although he has laughed it off on Twitter, his father Ray Young was not impressed and has insisted the league do something about it. Unlike the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks have not, as yet, released a statement about the incident.