May 20, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Westbrook addressed getting popcorn dumped on his head by a fan postgame.
In the Washington Wizards‘ Game 2 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, a fan in the Wells Fargo Center crowd dumped a bucket of popcorn on Russell Westbrook’s head as he headed into the locker room with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
This is not the first time a fan in the crowd has crossed the line with Westbrook. Only a few years ago, a 76ers fan gave Westbrook the finger when he on the Oklahoma City Thunder. There was also that incident in Salt Lake City when he got into a verbal altercation with a Utah Jazz fan. Add in all the stuff going on with Trae Young up in Manhattan, and fans are really getting out of hand.
Westbrook has every reason to be upset here and the NBA needs to do a better job of protecting its star athletes from these classless fans they let walk into their arenas.
Russell Westbrook responds to fan dumping a bucket of popcorn on his head
While fans are a very important part of collegiate and professional sports, they need to understand that guys like Westbrook are out there doing their job. How would you like it if somebody came into your office and dumped a bucket on top of your head and told you how much you sucked? That would be soul-crushing, and you probably couldn’t handle that type of criticism.
Factor in Young nearly getting spit on by a rowdy New York Knicks fan, and you need the players’ commissioner Adam Silver to do what he does best and stand up for his guys. Otherwise, what is he doing, honestly? The league needs players like Westbrook and Young to make teams like the Wizards and the Hawks interesting. Do we really want another Malice at The Palace on our hands?
While it is great to have fans back at games, a select few need to understand it is not about them.