Kyrie Irving is latest NBA star involved in fan incident after Sunday's bottle toss
As fans continue to funnel into stands around various parts of the country, more and more objectionable interactions are taking place.
Kyrie Irving is the latest NBA player to be the victim of a fan crossing the line, as the Brooklyn Nets superstar had a water bottle thrown at him as he exited the TD Garden floor following Sunday's 141-126 win over the Boston Celtics.
The incident is the latest in a spate of fan misbehavior during the NBA playoffs.
Russell Westbrook had to be restrained after a fan dumped popcorn on him Wednesday, and Trae Young apparently had a fan spit in his direction as he stood near the sideline on the same evening.
Then, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant's father, Tee, told ESPN about an offensive interaction with three Utah Jazz fans in the stands for Game 2 of that series.
Each fan involved in these incidents has been banned from the arena in which the incident took place.
But in some cases, such as Sunday in Boston, the repercussions extended beyond a stadium ban.
Shams Charania of "The Athletic" joined Colin Cowherd and "The Herd" to break down the latest in that case, which saw the fan charged on suspicion of assault and battery with use of a dangerous weapon.
In the immediate aftermath of the bottle-throwing, Irving and Nets teammate Kevin Durant sounded off on the confrontation.
Irving attributed the incident to "underlying racism and treating people like they're in a human zoo."
Meanwhile, Durant took a hard line protecting his teammate and his colleagues.
"I mean, fans have got to grow up at some point," Durant said. "I know that being in the house for a year and a half with the pandemic has got a lot of people on edge, has got a lot of people stressed out. But when you come to these games, you've got to realize: These men are human. You know? We're not animals. We're not in the circus.
"You coming to the game is not all about you as a fan. So have some respect for the game. Have some respect for the human beings. And have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn't be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players or spitting on players or tossing popcorn. So grow the f--- up and enjoy the game. It's bigger than you."
On Monday's edition of "First Things First," Nick Wright agreed with both Irving and Durant in saying that there are racial undertones to the treatment of players, specifically in the NBA, a league made up of nearly 75% Black athletes.
"It is all fruit of the same poisonous tree. It is all fruit of, ‘You are performing for my entertainment, and that is where your efficiency as a human starts and ends – how well you entertain or don’t entertain me. … I do not care a single shred about treating you with dignity outside of watching you play a sport.'"
Wright's co-host, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall, said that professional sports league have to "change the way we look at our security and how we police arenas and stadiums" so that both players and fans can have a safe experience. He also shared a story about a near-altercation with a fan when he was a member of the Miami Dolphins.
"I jumped in my car one day, and I'm trying to navigate through this crowd of fans, and a guy came up and just started banging on my window. And I almost lost it. And I almost jumped out my car, and my agent grabbed my hand. But I'm like, ‘Why do you feel that you can touch my car?’"
As for how the players feel about the latest incident, this time involving Irving, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard summed it up succinctly.
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