One of the most talked-about incidents during what was a truly bizarre evening for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday was Rajon Rondo's incident with a fan sitting courtside. The veteran point guard has now broken his silence about the issue as he explained his side of the story.
At one point in the game, the Lakers guard was seen standing over the fan while doing what appeared like a gun gesture using his hand. The fan slapped Rondo's arm which resulted in the former being ejected from the building.
In his statement, the four-time All-Star admitted that there was some smack talking going on between himself and the fan:
“There was an exchange of words and I just wanted to get the guy out of the game,” Rondo said (h/t Mirjam Swanson of the Los Angeles Daily News).
“It doesn’t really matter what I said, he didn’t threaten me and I didn’t threaten him, there was an exchange of words and got him out of the game.
“I was pointing at the guy.”
The Lakers star does not directly deny the gun gesture but he seems to be claiming that he had no ill intentions towards the fan.
Here's the incident in question:
The Rajon Rondo vs. fan altercation from 2021.pic.twitter.com/RH63pGr5r4
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 23, 2021
In the video above, you can clearly see Rondo doing a gesture with his thumb. He also did it twice.
When asked if he feels this incident serves as evidence of the rise of untoward interactions between players and fans, the Lakers vet decided to downplay the issue:
“I think this was isolated,” Rondo said. “I don't compare it to things that happened in the past.”
The fan involved got ejected from Staples Center for putting his hands on Rondo. He's likely going to serve some sort of ban. It remains to be seen, however, if the Lakers or the NBA will punish Rondo for his actions here.
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