The details surrounding the interaction between Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul’s mom and wife and Dallas Mavericks fans have been further explained.
It’s the Western Conference Semifinals, and the Phoenix Suns lost their second consecutive game in Game 4. The Suns could have wrapped up the series by this point with their initial 2-0 lead, but going 2-2 puts them in a more precarious position.
To make matters worse, a few Dallas Mavericks fans managed to rattle Chris Paul III by putting their hands on his wife and mother in the stands. CP3 wasn’t having it.
Chris Paul was not happy. 😳
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 9, 2022
Since Sunday, more details have emerged about what went down during Game 4, as well as the consequences for the actions of those fans.
From unwanted tapping to unwanted hugs, what Charania and Robin herself have described is a lot of unwanted contact from unfamiliar NBA fans, which made the Paul family extremely uncomfortable.
More details on the interaction between Chris Paul’s mom, wife and Mavs fans
While fan debate rages on whether or not Paul III overreacted to the situation, the fact is that the celebrity status bestowed on NBA athletes often extends to their family — and that includes unwanted attention.
For example, frustrated Los Angeles Lakers fans unleashed their anger onto Russell Westbrook’s family as well this season, sending death threats to his wife for Westbrook’s lackluster performance. Harassment of an NBA player’s family members happens often, and fans can easily overstep, even if they did intend to wish Robin a Happy Mother’s Day.
The bottom line is that the Paul family simply wanted to watch Chris play in peace, and because these fans disrespected those boundaries and failed to conduct themselves properly, they have now been banned from American Airlines Center until 2023. That’s going to hurt even more, considering that they were Mavs fans rather than Suns fans.
“Stop letting the Internet gas you up into thinking you have this bubble protection — you don’t,” The Herd host Joy Taylor aptly put it following the incident.