A fan attending Wednesday night's NBA playoff game in Philadelphia dumped popcorn on Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook as he was exiting the floor after injuring his right ankle, infuriating Westbrook and eliciting outrage from fellow players.
Westbrook had to be held back by multiple Wizards staffers and arena security guards as he limped down the tunnel after rolling his ankle with 10 minutes to play in the 76ers' 120-95 Game 2 victory.
The fan was ejected by security moments later.
"I wouldn't come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens," Westbrook said. "In these arenas, you got to start protecting the players. We'll see what the NBA does."
Teammate Bradley Beal called the incident "disgusting," and Wizards coach Scott Brooks said the individual should be banned from the league.
Valerie Camillo, president of business operations for the Wells Fargo Center, released a statement shortly after the game that read: "This was classless, unacceptable behavior, and we're not going to tolerate it at Wells Fargo Center. We're proud to have the most passionate fans in the country and the best home-court and home-ice advantage around, but this type of behavior has no place in our arena."
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James addressed the situation in a Twitter post, writing, "By the way WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!! There's cameras all over arenas so there's no excuse! Cause if the [shoe] was on the other [foot]."
He attached the hashtag #ProtectOurPlayers.
By the way WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!! There's cameras all over arenas so there's no excuse! Cause if the 👟 was on the other 🦶🏾.🎥 #ProtectOurPlayers
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 27, 2021
Four years ago, a fan sitting courtside in Philadelphia was ejected for flipping off Westbrook. In 2019, a fan in Utah was banned from Vivnt Smart Home Arena for life after getting into a verbal altercation with Westbrook while he was on the Oklahoma City Thunder bench.
Westbrook did not return to Wednesday night's game after rolling his right ankle, which occurred when he stepped on 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz's foot. Westbrook tweaked the same ankle in the third quarter while defending 76ers guard Ben Simmons in the post and fell to the court.
Westbrook struggled on the night, going 2-of-10 shooting with 10 points plus 11 assists and six rebounds. The 76ers have a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Westbrook's status for Saturday's Game 3 in Washington is to be determined.
Washington Wizards' Russell Westbrook agitated as popcorn poured on him while leaving floor with ankle injury - ESPN Philippines
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