The Russell Westbrook popcorn incident will forever go down in fan interaction infamy. The Washington Wizards guard got a face full of the stuff as he headed to the locker room during Game 2 of Wizards vs. Sixers.
The incident has drawn irate reactions from NBA players and fans alike. Even stars like LeBron James couldn't help but chime in on the matter. Westbrook's Wizards running mate Bradley Beal had a succinct response to the fan's actions:
Bradley Beal on the fan throwing popcorn on Russell Westbrook: "It’s disgusting."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 27, 2021
Brad's not wrong. The Wizards were already down for the count, with Westbrook and the team in low spirits amid a drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. There was absolutely no place for this type of display, especially since more and more fans are just starting to be allowed into arenas again. Why take for granted a privilege that was stripped away from you for so long?
Russell Westbrook himself admitted that this wasn't the first time he's had shenanigans go down in the Sixers' home arena.
Not the first time a Philadelphia fan had an issue with Russell Westbrook. On opening day four years ago, a urologist (yes, he was a urologist) seated courtside jumped out his seat and flipped Russ double-birds right in his face, which led to this moment.
The fan was ejected. pic.twitter.com/dNMRxwF2Ei
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 27, 2021
Westbrook went on it further, explaining how the dynamics are very different for athletes in arenas.
“I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens…In these arenas, you gotta start protecting the players. We’ll see what the NBA does.”
Game 3 of Wizards-Sixers is on Saturday.
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