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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James shared his thoughts on recent fan incidents involving Russell Westbrook, Ja Morant, and Trae Young, and how the NBA currently protects its players.<\/p>\n
After leading the Lakers to a 109-95 victory in the franchise\u2019s first home playoff game at Staples Center since 2013, James expressed his support for the league and the franchises for responding to the regrettable incidents.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s been enough done to protect the players, but we gotta continue to do that,\u201d Lakers star LeBron James said. \u201cThe NBA did a great job, and also the respective teams \u2014 Philly, New York, and\u2026Utah, as well \u2014 protecting our players by banning the individuals that had these instances. That\u2019s not a part of cheering\u2026or heckling players, or being as loud as you can.\u201d
\nOn Wednesday, the NBA dealt with three ugly incidents as arenas welcome more and more fans back for emotional playoff games after 14 months of a pandemic.
\nIn Game 2 between the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, a Sixers fan dumped popcorn on Westbrook as he headed to the locker room to nurse an injury. LeBron passionately condemned the action on Twitter.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s cameras all over arenas so there\u2019s no excuse! Cause if the ? was on the other ??.? #ProtectOurPlayers
\n\u2014 LeBron James (@KingJames) May 27, 2021<\/p>\n
At Madison Square Garden, Young was on the receiving end of more than just vulgar chants, as a disgusting fan had the nerve to spit on the Hawks guard. Later that night, three\u00a0Utah Jazz fans hurled sexually explicit and racist remarks towards Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant\u2019s family during Game 2.<\/p>\n
my family told me they felt the love from all the other jazz fans who were around them ? even bought each other drinks with a few.
\nthose 3 just went too far ? https:\/\/t.co\/1XvjXcPVOo
\n\u2014 Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 28, 2021<\/p>\n
In each instance, the behavior was publicly condemned by the teams, and the bad actors were promptly banned from the arenas.
\n\u201cAll the heckling, that\u2019s great,\u201d Lakers superstar LeBron James continued. \u201cWe don\u2019t mind that. We\u2019re going to hear the boos. We understand that. May be a couple curse words here and there, and we understand that as well. Actually, I love that. I\u2019m absolutely OK with that. But there\u2019s a line, and we\u2019re all grown, we all know what the line is when you cross it. So, to see Russ get popcorn thrown on him leaving the game, to see Trae Young get spit on, and to hear about Ja\u2019s family in the crowd in Utah. Those are things that\u2019s not going to represent our league, represent our players, or represent these respective teams, and those teams handled it with utmost professionalism. So kudos to the league, kudos to the Knicks, Jazz, and Philly and we want to continue to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this season, James \u2014 who was the target of famously vitriolic behavior after joining the Miami Heat \u2014 seemed to relish in a back-and-forth with a courtside Karen in a Lakers win over the Atlanta Hawks.
\n\u201cI miss that interaction. I need that interaction,\u201d LeBron said at the time.<\/p>\n
LeBron James and a courtside Hawks fan get into it, causing the refs to stop the game. ?pic.twitter.com\/XIHYGNvepX
\n\u2014 ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 2, 2021<\/p>\n
At Staples Center on Thursday \u2014 LeBron\u2019s first playoff game in East Los Angeles \u2014 the Lakers crowd was fired up from the jump, breaking out \u201cF*ck Jae Crowder\u201d chants early and often.
\nJames fueled the fire by making an example out of Crowder, his longtime foe, while sparking the Lakers\u2019 third-quarter run and sending both the Lakers bench and crowd into a tizzy.<\/p>\n
LeBron playing with his food pic.twitter.com\/j2QPAr0LKK
\n\u2014 ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 28, 2021<\/p>\n
LeBron with the bully ball on Jae Crowder! Can’t guard The King!#LakeShow pic.twitter.com\/Om7YKI4UG2
\n\u2014 LakeShow Highlights (@LA_HighLights24) May 28, 2021<\/p>\n
Finally, with the game\u2019s outcome finally settled, Larry David on his way home, and Devin Booker and Crowder in the locker room, the Lakers\u2019 first playoff win in front of their fans in nearly a decade ended with \u201cKobe\u201d chants.<\/p>\n
“KOBE, KOBE!”
\nStaples Center erupts in chants for Kobe Bryant as the Lakers win their first playoff game in Staples since 2013 ??pic.twitter.com\/DH96EtU3xg
\n\u2014 ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 28, 2021<\/p>\n
More of all of that \u2014 less (meaning zero) spitting and racism.<\/p>\n