Things often get pretty heated during an NBA basketball game. There’s a lot of tension felt between the opposing players and even between the players and refs. Sometimes, things can even get tense between players and fans.
Typically, guys typically do a pretty good job of keeping their emotions in check and staying out of altercations involving the fans.
Still, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Following his team’s win over San Antonio on Monday, Jordan Clarkson revealed that he almost lost his cool on one Spurs fan during the game. It was only by thinking about his daughter buying a Bugatti that he was able to resist the urge to get physical.
“I can’t go into the crowd. That guy won’t lose anything. I’ll lose money. That could go to my daughter. She could buy a Bugatti or something.”
JC said there was a Spurs fan saying malicious things all night, and he had to remind himself to be restrained: "I can't go into the crowd. That guy won't lose anything. I'll lose money. That could go to my daughter. She could buy a Bugatti or something."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) December 28, 2021
Some trash talk is normal and typical throughout the game, and players are used. to that kind of stuff by now.
But sometimes people get carried away and cross a line. One example is the time some Pacers fans got kicked from a game for saying something to LeBron James.
“I mean nothing’s uncomfortable for me. It’s a difference between cheering for your home faithful… not wanting your opponents to be successful. Then there’s moments where it goes outside the line. With obscene gestures and words that shouldn’t be tolerated in our game. I would never say it to a fan, and a fan should never say it to a player.”
As a much more dramatic example, there’s also the Malice at the Palace incident, which escalated into a whole new level when a fan threw his drink at Ron Artest.
In situations like that, players stand to suffer the most, but it doesn’t mean they’re always willing or able to suppress their emotions.
This time, Jordan Clarkson was able to keep his cool and keep on playing but it just goes to show how quickly things could have gotten ugly.
