Last Monday night, in LA Lakers’ 107-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, LeBron James had an altercation with a few fans who had a preferred seat on the State Farm Arena court. During the last quarter of the match, there was an altercation involving the Lakers star and a fan who even shouted off the mask. The incident did not go unnoticed by the referees, who stopped the game at the time.
“At the end of the day, I’m glad some fans are back in the arena. I missed that interaction, I needed that interaction, we as players need it,” LeBron said of the post-game incident. “There was an argument between two grown men, each saying what they had to say, and then someone else came in and said her part.”
LeBron James enters with a fan, this is her after being removed from the Lakers Hawks game pic.twitter.com/NIdazlT6vY
– Clarence Burns (@ Burnsclarence11) February 2, 2021
State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, only allowed fans to re-enter last week, with a 10 percent capacity. The team issued a set of rules for the reopening of the property, including, of course, the use of mouthguards at all times. This rule was broken by this group of people who took off their masks to yell at LeBron, in addition to the commotion caused by security to remove them. According to the official Hawks report, four fans were kicked out of the game, including Juliana and Chris Carlos, who exchanged words with LeBron.
‘I don’t think they should be fired. Maybe they had been drinking alcohol and hooked when it was no longer about gambling, so the officers did what they had to do. I don’t think removing the mouth mask would hurt, maybe the ones closest. I was not that close, and neither were my companions. I hope everyone is okay, safety first, ”added James.
“It happened as if there was an altercation in court that seemed bigger than it is, that was it. I certainly think there was alcohol involved on their part, which made them braver than they are, ”he said.
The NBA has been very strict about following all security protocols during the pandemic, millions of dollars have been spent on testing and measures to allow the game to evolve, and yet 23 games had to be postponed in the season.
Understanding the economic devastation and the need to reactivate the business little by little, some cities have relaxed restrictions, as in the case of Atlanta. However, the question remains how necessary it is to sell the seats on the field and have fans so close to the field and the players.
“You can’t have fans take off their masks and yell at the players, I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m sure the league will analyze,” said coach Frank Vogel a little more concerned.
LeBron thrives on the support or even hostility of the rival public when they visit. The Lakers were in the final game of a long seven-game road streak. As early as one of the games of that streak, when they faced their former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was an event where a Cavs manager was fourth when LeBron failed. This did not go unnoticed by the superstar who became even more motivated and closed the game with a performance of 46 points.
“I love our fans, the Lakers Nation and anyone who is against the Lakers Nation. Having fans in the stands is better, it feels better for everyone, especially on the last day of a 14-day trip, ”concluded LeBron, who contributed 21 points to the Los Angeles victory.