A man had to be tackled to the ground by security after running on to the court during the Washington Wizards – Philadelphia 76ers playoff game on Monday in the latest example of NBA fans behaving badly.
Video of the incident posted to Twitter shows a man in a yellow shirt jumping towards one of the hoops as if he is going to make a dunk, when a security guard grabs his legs and tackles him to the ground.
An announcer for the game joked that the guard should be hired by a football team.
He said: ‘The Redskins better look into hiring that man right there.’
‘What a tackle there by security.’
The court invader was soon escorted off the court and into the tunnel as fans booed at him.
The security guard grabbed the mans legs, and tackled him to the ground
Dwight Howard, of the Philadelphia 76ers, looked down at the man who was tackled to the ground by a security guard at Monday’s game
A security guard grabbed a fan who ran onto the court of a 76ers-Wizards playoff game on Monday after he tried to reach for the Wizards’ basket
The incident occurred after Philadelphia’s Seth Curry missed a three-pointer and Washington’s Rui Hachimura grabbed the rebound, delivering a pass to Raul Neto.
As the play went to the opposite end of the court, a referee stopped the action as he saw the security guard tackle the intruder right near Washington’s basket.
The man, whose name has not yet been released, is now facing charges from the Washington D.C. police and has been banned from Capitol One Arena.
It is just the latest incident in a string of NBA fans harassing players in recent weeks.
The security guard removed the spectator from the arena as fans booed him off
On Sunday, a Celtics fan in Boston was arrested after throwing a water bottle that nearly hit Nets star Kylie Irving.
A 21-year-old man has been charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon over the incident which happened after the Nets’ star stomped on the Celtics logo at the end of Boston’s playoff loss to Brooklyn on Sunday.
The man has been identified as Cole Buckley of Braintree, Massachusetts. He was taken into custody, wearing a green Celtics Kevin Garnett jersey, minutes after the incident. His arraignment is set for Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court.
The bottle did not strike Irving, but it caught his attention, and he and several teammates stopped and had words with the fan, who faces a lifetime ban from TD Garden.
Irving addressed the occurrence after the game.
‘People just feel very entitled out here,’ Irving said. ‘They paid for the tickets. Great. I’m grateful they’re coming in to watch a great performance. But we’re not at the theater. We’re not throwing tomatoes and other random stuff at the people that are performing. It’s too much. And it’s a reflection on us as a whole.’
‘It’s unfortunate that sports has come to this crossroads where a lot of old ways are coming up,’ Irving, who played for the Celtics from 2017-19, said after the game.
‘It’s been that way for entertainment for a long time with underlying racism and just treating people like they are in a human zoo.
A fan lobbed a bottle at Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving (top) after the clash with Boston Celtics
Cole Buckley was taken into custody, wearing a green Celtics Kevin Garnett jersey, minutes after the incident. His arraignment is set for Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court
Last Wednesday, the Hawks’ Trae Young was spat on at Madison Square Garden and on Tuesday, 76ers player Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on him.
The NBA released a statement Thursday warning that an enhanced fan code of conduct ‘will be vigorously enforced in order t ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved.’
‘The return of more NBA fans to our arenas has brought great excitement and energy to the start of the playoffs,’ the statement reads, ‘but it is crucial that we all show respect for players, officials and our fellow fans.’
The National Basketball Players Association also said in a statement: ‘True fans of this game honor and respect the dignity of our players.’
‘No true fan would seek to harm them or violate their personal space,’ it says. ‘Those who do have no lace in our arenas. And their conduct is appropriately evaluated by law enforcement just as if it occurred on a public street.’