Lastly, it hit Kyrie Irving – almost. A water bottle thrown from the rows of the audience flew just past the Brooklyn Nets player’s head. Irving was about to leave the field after his team’s away win against the Boston Celtics when the attack occurred. Now the 29-year-old has commented on the incident.
“There’s a long history when it comes to entertainment, artists, and sports. There is subliminal racism and players are treated as if they were in a human zoo «. It has “reached a point where it becomes too much,” continued Irving.
The man responsible for throwing the bottle has since been arrested and has been banned from the house for life. According to the association, the police have started an investigation.
In fact, it is not the first assault in recent times. In another case last week, a man threw popcorn at Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards. They were guests of the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs and Westbrook was limping towards the cabin with an ankle injury. When leaving the hall, a man threw a large amount of popcorn at the athlete from above. Westbrook was only with great difficulty stopped by several security forces from attacking the man.
On the same day, the New York Knicks banned a spectator who spat on Atlanta Hawks professional Trae Young. This case was less clear because the action could not be clearly seen on the TV pictures either. In addition, several viewers of the Utah Jazz were banned, apparently it was about verbal derailments.
The behavior of the fans becomes a problem for the league
After more than a year without an audience, the NBA is trying to get the problem under control. “The return of more NBA fans to our arenas has brought great joy and energy to the start of the playoffs, but it is crucial that we all show respect for players, officials and other fans,” the league said. House bans and legal consequences are intended to deter imitators.
Kyrie Irving also knows, of course, that the sport depends on the enthusiasm and the wallets of the audience. Still, he sees the league at a crossroads: “They paid for their tickets and that’s great. I am grateful that you came to see a good show. (…) But right now it’s just too much. “
