A Philadelphia 76ers fan has lost out on their ability to attend games moving forward. During Wednesday night’s Game 2 win over the Washington Wizards, one Sixers fan poured popcorn on Russell Westbrook as the former league MVP was making his way to the locker room to tend to an injury he suffered during the game. Westbrook, who has experience both with fans crossing lines with him and overzealous Sixers fans, was incensed, needing to be held back by a number of individuals with the Wizards organization.
Westbrook spoke about the incident after the game and received support from LeBron James. One day later and he’s also received support from the Sixers organization, as the team released a statement regarding the fan. While their identity was not revealed, the fan will have their season tickets rescinded and is now banned from attending events at the Wells Fargo Center moving forward. Philly also made it a point to apologize to Westbrook and the Wizards, stressing that these sorts of actions have “no place” in basketball.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 27, 2021
Additionally, the NBA put out a statement saying that “an enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced.”
The return of more NBA fans to our arenas has brought great excitement and energy to the start of the playoffs, but it is critical that we all show respect for players, officials and our fellow fans. An enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced in order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved.
Westbrook and the Wizards will head to more friendly confines for Games 3 and 4 of the series, as things shift to Washington beginning on Saturday evening.