During the Lakers win over the Thunder last night, a fan came over to the Lakers bench while the game was ongoing and put his arms around LeBron James. This interaction led to a visibly upset LeBron pushing the fan away as security rushed in to escort him out of the arena.
A fan from the Thunder-Lakers game runs up to Lebron #Lakers pic.twitter.com/1gk0wwgXMF
— FFraire_ (@Fernadad1) January 16, 2024
Interacting with fans is something NBA players might not love to do but have to do because of the status that their job provides them. But when players are on the court, the only thing they should be focused on is playing the game. While James is known to show love to his fans, expecting that in the middle of a game is asinine.
The beauty of NBA games is that fans can sit as close to the action as they want and follow the game. Unfortunately, some fans choose not to respect this proximity and often use it as a chance to try and interact with the players that are competing in a game. More often than not, it takes the form of heckling. But even this, regardless of how pure the intentions were, should be severely discouraged.
The NBA Should Punish The Fan
The NBA should issue a ban or a suspension to the fan to send a message to other fans who sit near courtside to not repeat a stunt like that. A situation like that could end up being far worse if a fan pulls up to a player on the bench with bad intentions. The NBA doesn’t want fans and players to physically interact since the Malice at the Palace, so the fan who did this should be reprimanded to some degree.
We’ve seen fans get banned from arenas in recent years for a variety of reasons. A Knicks fan was permanently banned from Madison Square Garden for spitting at Trae Young in 2021 during the heat of the Hawks vs. Knicks playoff matchup. A Philadelphia 76ers season ticket holder not only had his season ticket revoked but was also banned from future events for throwing popcorn at Russell Westbrook.
Given how expensive NBA tickets are, especially when you’re that close to the action, there is no reason to act recklessly and get yourself thrown out of a game or banned from an arena. This instance with LeBron didn’t have negative ramifications as the player wasn’t harmed verbally or physically, but the precedent it sets could be worrying.
If you’re at NBA games, you can always approach the players (if you see them) before or after the game. But running up to the bench during a game and expecting anything other than anger is incredibly foolish.
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