Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gestures to a referee during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks are opening an investigation into the LeBron James-involved ‘Courtside Karen’ and company ejections.
A fan sitting courtside at last night’s matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Lakers has taken the internet by storm. ‘Courtside Karen’, and three others were ejected after getting into a verbal exchange with LeBron James. Monday, the Hawks announced that they would be opening up an investigation into the events that led to the ejections.
In the video, the woman in question can be seen pointing and yelling, with a pulled-down mask, at James in the fourth quarter.
After being escorted out of the arena, the woman took to Instagram to explain her side of the story. She claims that James cursed out her husband and that the response viewers saw her give on the video was in retaliation.
The Atlanta Hawks are investigating whether or not further punishment is necessary after the LeBron incident
There are only 10 teams in the NBA that are allowing fans this season and the Hawks are one of them. State Farm Arena is hosting 10 percent (1,700 seats) of its capacity. Everyone attending games is required to take a COVID-19 rapid test before being admitted into the arena. All fans are also required to wear masks while inside, except for when eating or drinking.
In the ‘Courtside Karen’ video, the woman can clearly be seen yelling with her mask pulled down, which would be in clear violation of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol.
It remains to be seen whether this incident will affect fan attendance at NBA games this season.