A BRIEF HISTORY OF BAD BEHAVIOUR IN THE NBA
Looking to brush up on your news-worthy NBA fan incidents? Then let's take a quick look back at some of the most notable events in recent NBA history.
In January 2022, a Philadelphia 76ers fan was ejected from their game with the LA Lakers for using racially charged language during an altercation with Carmelo Anthony.
In 2004, players from the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons rushed into the stands at the Palace in Auburn Hills and an all-out melee occurred. Known as the "Malice at the Palace", the NBA wants to avoid a repeat of this crazy event.
With fans being so close to the action, it's not a surprise that tempers occasionally boil over. Back in 2018, Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder knocked down a game-winning shot against the Denver Nuggets and was
confronted by an angry Nuggets fan
, but luckily avoided a fight.
Part of the problem with fans behaving badly is, of course, alcohol consumption. In 2021, LeBron James from the LA Lakers learned this firsthand after his altercation with what the media dubbed a "courtside Karen" during an Atlanta Hawks game. The "Karen" had a little too much wine to drink, which gave her the liquid courage to talk smack with the NBA's top star.
Players are trained and prepped in the art of blocking out abuse and criticism from fans, but not so much with bodily fluids... During the 2021 NBA playoffs, Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks drew the ire of New York Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden, with one fan despicably spitting on Young after the game ended.
One of the most dangerous acts that a fan can do is to hurl a potentially lethal object. During the 2010 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers, an inebriated Celtics fan threw an empty vodka bottle at Lamar Odom from the Lakers.
