Fans are back and it's got everyone excited, well, for the most part. On Wednesday night during the NBA Playoffs, three separate teams banned a total of 5 fans from their arenas. The Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz each made swift moves to remove certain fans from their stadiums after some ugly altercations.
It's important for fans to watch sports games live as it's a way to generate excitement and revenue. However, it seems some people have been chomping at the bit to attend live games for all of the wrong reasons. With the NBA Playoffs in full swing, it's a bad look to have three teams already banning fans.
In fact, we've seen a ton of altercations in the stands over recent months, as a new fight video is released every day (or at least it feels like it). Most of those brawls are taking place at MLB games and with the latest banishments from the NBA, this might just be the beginning of bad behavior. With that said, here is a quick breakdown of the 5 fans who were banned on Wednesday night.
Philadelphia 76ers
On Wednesday night, the 76ers took on the Washington Wizards in a Game 2 playoff matchup. The game was already going Philadelphia's way throughout the night, as things went south for the Wizards. Russell Westbrook fell to injury, losing one of their superstar guards in the middle of an important game.
While Westbrook was walking through the tunnel, popcorn can be seen falling from above. The Wizards' guard reacts but is controlled by the security around him. Fans sitting in the area pointed out the offender, making it easy for the 76ers organization to track him down.
This fan should never be permitted in a #Sixers game ever again after throwing popcorn on Russell Westbrook while leaving court with injury. And they can track his ass down. No class! pic.twitter.com/ra029MaBDF
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) May 27, 2021
A name was not given, but it turns out the fan who threw the popcorn is a season-ticket holder. The organization revoked his tickets and banned him from all events at the arena, per the Chicago Tribune.
This isn't the first time we've seen Westbrook in the middle of altercations with fans. Back in 2019 during a game against the Utah Jazz, a fan by the name of Shane Keisel was heard making racial and obscene gestures at Westbrook during the game. Keisel was ultimately removed from the stadium and banned. He later sued Westbrook and the Utah Jazz, but it was dismissed by a Utah Judge, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
A Utah judge tossed out a $100M suit against Russell Westbrook and the Utah Jazz filed by two fans banned from Jazz games after taunts toward Westbrook in a March 2019 game, per court documents. Shane Keisel and Jennifer Huff claimed defamation and infliction of emotional stress.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 27, 2021
New York Knicks
Article Continues BelowThe Knicks have had problems for quite some time and as soon as they get their first playoff win since 2013, a fan makes a fool of himself is banned from the arena. During their playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks, a video surfaced of a man spitting at Trae Young.
Did a Knicks fan spit on Trae Young? 😬
(@jamosramos4 ) pic.twitter.com/iOm44o0rgG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 27, 2021
Young was waiting to inbound the ball, making him close enough for the alleged Knicks fan to spit at the Hawks star point guard. No one in the Hawks organization was even aware the incident happened until Thursday morning.
At least the Knicks got this one right, as the last time a person was asked to leave it turned out to be Knicks' legend, Charles Oakley. It was an ugly moment in New York's sports history that has caused turmoil between James Dolan and ex-Knicks legends. At the end of the day, New York got it right this time and has banned the spitting fan indefinitely, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Utah Jazz
There is no video of the incident, but apparently, during Wednesday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, three fans were ejected and banned from the arena after verbally assaulting Ja Morant's family in the stands. The Jazz organization acted quickly and issued apologies towards Morant and his family. According to the Chicago Tribune, those three fans have been banned from the arena indefinitely.
The Jazz have a history of crazed fans acting out of line. Shane Keisel, who is mentioned above, is one of many examples of Jazz fans acting out of line. In fact, a simple Google search about the Utah Jazz can lead you down a rabbit hole of bad fan experiences.
After spending a year and a half cooped up in houses and social distancing, it seems some NBA fans are releasing their pent-up frustrations on professional athletes. Hopefully, everything gets cleared up soon, as having to ban fans is never a good look for any organization.