Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas received a two-game suspension for entering the stands during the Wizards' 125-108 loss at the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 21.
Thomas confronted two fans over obscenities and gestures late in the 4th quarter. He apologized to the Wizards for the suspension, but the guard still believes he “did the right thing.”
Isaiah Thomas said he apologized to a lot of people in the Wizards organization for his suspension, including chairman Ted Leonsis.
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) December 27, 2019
Isaiah Thomas was contrite for breaking the rules and going into the stands, but believes he “did the right thing” standing up for himself as a man and hopes the incident can shed light on the players/fans dynamic. pic.twitter.com/saAuE7JGxn
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) December 27, 2019
The two fans were suspended from all Wells Fargo Center events for 12 months after the incident at the Wizards-Sixers game. The NBA noted that the automatic suspension is intended to prevent altercations between players and fans and thus enforced even when a situation does not escalate. This rule has been in place since the infamous “Malice at the Palace” incident between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.
Fans need to realize that just because they pay a lot of money for tickets, it doesn't give them the right to swear at players and say bad things. Like Thomas says, there's no way these fans would say those obscenities to players if they were out on the street. Fans know they are protected at NBA games, so they think they can say whatever they want. The incident at the Wizards game was far from an isolated event, as there have been various incidents between fans and players, such as the one between Russell Westbrook and a fan in Utah during a game last season between the Thunder and Jazz.
The Wizards lost to the Pistons on Thursday without Thomas. They are now 9-21 on the season. Barring some miracle, the Wizards are going to miss the playoffs this season for the second straight year.
Thomas has appeared in 21 games this season for the Wizards. He's averaging 13.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Follow Us
Subscribe