A New York Knicks fan has been banned after he spit on Atlanta Hawks player Trae Young.
The Knicks released a statement in regards to the Wednesday night game at Madison Square Garden. After the matter was investigated, it was decided the fan is no longer welcome to the stadium, per People.
Read More: Blockbuster trades New York Knicks could make this summer
The Knicks shirt-wearing person was sitting in the second row and spit over courtside guests toward Young who was on the court. One of the courtside patrons was rapper 50 Cent. The player went to social media and commented on a video of the matter.
“Damn… Crazy ! @50cent y’all good?!“ he tweeted.
The Knicks released a statement about the incident.
“We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young, and for that reason, he is now banned from The Garden indefinitely.”
Read More: Naomi Osaka named 2021 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
The statement continued with: “We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan’s behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue. We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities.”
The fiasco took place the same night as the Washington Wizards game against the Philadelphia 76ers when a fan poured popcorn on guard Russell Westbrook, as reported by theGrio. Westbrook was helped off the court during Game Two of his team’s playoff match against the Philadelphia 76ers.
As he limped down the tunnel, a 76ers fan poured popcorn on the injured player’s head as he left the floor. The enraged Westbrook had to be restrained by trainers and assistants after the incident as he angrily yelled at the fan.
According to Sports Illustrated, the rude fan was eventually ejected after other fans in the stands pointed to and identified the offending culprit for security.
“This is just plain stupidity, somebody pouring some popcorn,” a commentator said in a clip of the incident. “Any athlete, being Westbrook or whomever, they are pumped with their adrenaline. He’s probably feeling bad, his team may be en route here to losing this game.”
Westbrook’s team did lose the game. The Wizards lost to the 76ers 120-95, giving the Philly squad a 2-0 lead in the playoff series.
After their defeat, Westbrook spoke about the incident from the press room where he demanded better protection for players. “To be completely honest, this s–t is getting out of hand, especially for me. The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f–k they want to do — it’s just out of pocket.”
Per ESPN, Westbrook continued: “There are certain things that cross the line. Any other setting … a guy were to come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head, you know what happens.”
“In these arenas, you got to start protecting the players,” he said. “We’ll see what the NBA does.”
Wizards Coach Scott Brooks also condemned the encounter, calling it “very disrespectful,” adding, “Philadelphia is better than that.”
Additional reporting by Biba Adams
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!