Memorably, James had a similar interaction with a fan during a game in Atlanta, originally spawning the “Courtside Karen” nickname. This was obviously not your run-of-the-mill trash talk or jeers. That also would suggest that the things yelled at him on Wednesday were particularly bad and - as he indicated - crossed a line for him to single the person out so quickly. James has been in the league for a very long time and has been hated by opposing fans for nearly that entire time, particularly after his move to Miami, meaning he’s heard many things shouted his way. Things I would never say to a fan, and a fan should never say to a player.” “I mean, nothing is uncomfortable for me,” James said, “but there is a difference between cheering on your home faithful, or booing opponents or things of that nature, not wanting your opponents to be successful, and then there are moments where it goes outside the line with gestures and words that shouldn’t be tolerated in our game. James then iced the game away with another patented fadeaway jumper, the final two points of his season-high 39, with eight of those coming in the extra session.Īfter the game, James addressed the situation during his press conference, though he didn’t reveal much in the way of specifics about what was said to have him react so strongly. #LakeShow /i0eYKhN1D3- Spectrum SportsNet November 25, 2021 Then the NBA will only have themselves to blame for failing to set the standard for what is acceptable.Įtan Thomas played in the NBA from 2000 through 2011.King in the clutch. All it takes is for the Juliana Carloses of the world to abuse the wrong person, someone who is more Metta Sandiford-Artest than Michelle Obama. It’s not just players who would benefit either. In 2019, the Utah Jazz banned a fan for life for racially abusing Russell Westbrook, an action that sent out a strong message that such behavior will not be tolerated. And the league has shown it can act effectively. The NBA has a responsibility to create a safe work environment for their employees, who earn the league billions of dollars every year. But the majority of blame was placed on Indiana’s Metta Sandiford-Artest (then known as Ron Artest).

Fans jumped the rail and threw beer at players, while squaring up to them. There was the Malice at the Palace, the infamous 2004 brawl during a Pacers-Pistons game which ended with the suspension of nine players for a total of 146 games. So, the game ends, he complains to our front office, I was reprimanded for my reaction and they rewarded him by giving him a tour of our facility to make amends with him as a season ticket holder, and I thought to myself, what kind of message does this send?” He was cussing out Tyronn Lue, cussing out LeBron, other players and I turned around and went off in front of everybody. “One day, as an assistant coach, I couldn’t take it anymore.

They talk about us being professional, but fans feel that they can say whatever they want to because they have that right because they bought their ticket. “While I was coaching in Cleveland, it had to be 2015 or 2016-17, there was a guy who sat behind our bench who was a season ticket holder and we still had LeBron James, and his whole purpose was to berate the coaches and players, as his wife would sit next to him and just laugh and she would be so proud. I asked two time NBA champion James Posey if he had experienced fans who crossed the line, and the consequences they faced. That stuck with me because if people hurl racist epithets at someone as venerated as MJ, they will do it to anyone. George told me that I would be surprised if I knew some of the things people had said to Jordan over the years. Michael Jordan was my Wizards teammate at the time, and I told his security guy, George, what had been said. They were saying vile things ( as the Utah crowd often does) and I looked right in the face of an older white man, who called Kwame a “Black mothereffer” (although he used something else than “effer”). I remember when I was playing for the Washington Wizards in Utah, and the crowd was heckling my teammate Kwame Brown as we were walking out. But it can also turn ugly and racist, particularly in a majority Black sport played in front of majority white crowds. Few players would argue with some good-natured heckling from the crowd – interaction with fans can be a fun part of the game.

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