Carmelo Anthony made headlines earlier this week when he got into an altercation with a fan. The Los Angeles Lakers visited the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, getting blown out by Doc Rivers’ squad, who had no mercy against the Purple and Gold.
During the match, Melo starred in a controversial moment when he called the officials to get a fan removed from the arena. In the aftermath of the incident, it was revealed that the fan repeatedly called Anthony ‘boy,’ which didn’t sit well with the veteran knowing that the word is used as a racial innuendo.
Referees and security personnel ejected the fan from the arena, and things ended for the player. However, the reactions didn’t take long to arrive, and the TNT dynamic duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley had something to say about this.
They disagreed with Melo’s attitude, saying it’s not a big deal that somebody calls you ‘boy.’
“I ain’t gonna get upset [if] somebody calls me boy,” Barkley said, via Clutch Points. “Come on, man. Stop tripping. Listen, I believe — that, to me, is no big deal, some guy calling me a boy.”
Shaq also shared his two pennies on this incident, saying he heard worse things during his pre-NBA times.
“When you’re warriors like me and Chuck, that don’t bother you anyway. … When you’re warriors like us, that ain’t gonna stop me,” O’Neal said. “Let me tell you something, brother. Playing in Texas, playing in the SEC, I heard it all. It ain’t gotta be right. That ain’t gonna stop me.”
This incident has drawn many reactions around the league, but the vast majority side with Anthony. Old legends are used to criticizing players whenever they don’t act as tough as they did during their active days. Recently, George Gervin had some things to say about modern-day players, criticizing them for being ‘sensitive’ when fans tried to mess with them.
Well, times are changing and players aren’t overlooking that anymore. Last season, plenty of fans were caught doing unacceptable things to players and it’s time that those antics stop happening in the league.
