Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association Michele Roberts says the league needs a “zero tolerance policy” for unruly fans.
Roberts' statement comes in light of what happened between Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook and a Utah Jazz fan on Monday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Quote from @MRobertsNBPA to @TheUndefeated on the need for a “zero tolerance policy” for fans at NBA games after Russell Westbrook incident in Utah. pic.twitter.com/OC2z6Of1Oa
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 12, 2019
The fans who sit courtside are so close to the players. Most of the time, they can say whatever they want and not face any consequences for it. That is exactly what happened to Russell Westbrook after a Jazz fan hurled racist taunts towards him.
Michele Roberts is right: We need to protect the players. They have families and kids just like everyone else. Most of the players don't care if you say bad things about their games. But when you attack their family or say racially hurtful things like the fan in Utah did, that's when the line is crossed.
Maybe a meeting between the players and Roberts would be beneficial. The players can tell Roberts what steps need to be taken to improve their work environment. Basketball is really the only sport where fans are so close to the players. Most of the times, the fans and players interact with each other in a good way, but that was obviously not the case in Utah on Monday.
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