Thursday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers was marred by controversy. In the middle of the game, Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony had some fans ejected for going too far with their heckling. As it turns out, the fan reportedly called Anthony “boy” multiple times.
Now, the Sixers brass has dropped their punishment on the Carmelo Anthony heckler. Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported that said fan has been banned indefinitely from attending Sixers games in Wells Fargo Center.
Philadelphia 76ers spokesperson confirmed to @YahooSports that following investigation, fan who made disparaging remarks toward Carmelo Anthony is banned indefinitely from all future Sixers games and events at Wells Fargo Center. Second fan suspended for remainder of season.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 29, 2022
One of the fans who were ejected, a Mike Murphy, went on a local radio show to defend his actions during the Sixers-Lakers game. While he claimed there was no racial intent in his words, he 1also offered a rather… confusing defense for calling Carmelo Anthony a “boy”.
“I don’t how the Sixers cannot let me be a fan for saying little boy, because he is a little boy,” Murphy said. “I respect Carmelo.”
While it's true that fans heckling visiting opponents is a natural part of the game, their comments should never be mean-spirited and racially charged. The word “boy” sounds innocuous in a vacuum, but given the history of that word, caution should be exercised when uttering it. This Sixers fan crossed the line, and now he will pay the price.
Fans going overboard have been a long problem in the NBA, but since COVID restrictions have been lifted, there have been a number of incidents like this. Whether it's fans throwing popcorn or reportedly telling a player that they wish their kid died in a car crash, this behavior isn't acceptable. Not just as a fan, but as a decent human being.
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