"This sh*t is just getting out of hand" - Russell Westbrook reacts to Philadelphia 76ers fan throwing popcorn at him

Russell Westbrook endured a tough outing on Wednesday as the Washington Wizards got bullied 95-120 by the Philadelphia 76ers. To make matters worse, Westbrook suffered an injury to his right ankle early on in the fourth quarter.

As Westbrook headed to the locker room, a fan in the arena decided to dampen the mood even further by throwing popcorn at him. This elicited an immediate response out of Mr. Triple-Double, but security at the arena kept him in check.

Fan dumping his popcorn on Russell Westbrook, who's walking off after twisting his ankle. Fan should be banned for life. No room for this. pic.twitter.com/DXatcX8l9i
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 27, 2021

Speaking to reporters after the game, Russell Westbrook expressed his frustration about the incident.

"To be honest, this sh*t is getting out of hand, especially for me," Westbrook said. "The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f*ck they want to do. It’s just out of pocket, man. Seriously. In the other setting I'm all for the fans enjoying the game, having fun. It's part of sports, I get it. But there are certain things that cross the line."

This is not the first time Russell Westbrook has had trouble in Philadelphia. Back in 2016, a fan was ejected from the Wells Fargo Center for giving Westbrook the bird.

Westbrook had gotten into an altercation with a Utah Jazz fan in 2019

The 2017 MVP called on the league to do something about the situation. He said:

""In these arenas, you got to start protecting the players. We'll see what the NBA does. ... Obviously, I have learned to look the other way. But to a certain extent, you can't just keep looking the other way. There has to be some penalties or something to put in place where fans just can't come to the games and do and say as they please."

Russell Westbrook receives support after popcorn incident

There was a massive outcry on social media about the incident, with fans and analysts all lobbying for Russell Westbrook. LeBron James was among the first names to tweet in support of Westbrook, demanding that the players be protected.

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 👟 was on the other 🦶🏾.🎥 #ProtectOurPlayers
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 27, 2021

Popular NBA analyst Skip Bayless also chimed in on the incident.

Westbrook is so right. The price of a ticket doesn't give the fan the right to yell whatever the fan wants or to throw food at a player. Westbrook: if that fan had poured popcorn on him in the street, "it would've been different." You better believe it.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 27, 2021

It goes without saying that there's no room for sordid acts like the one Russell Westbrook had to face during tonight's game. Incidents of fans misbehaving with the players are becoming increasingly common too. It's time for the league to step in and deal with the situation promptly.