Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas could be fined and suspended after going into the stands during Saturday night’s game in Philadelphia, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. However, Thomas believes his actions were justified and said the league should support him.
The incident happened during a timeout with 2:53 left to play, shortly after Thomas made a free throw after missing the first one. Had he missed two in a row, all fans would have received a free Wendy’s Frosty. Thomas said one of the fans responded with an obscene gesture and repeated a profane phrase.
“In no way, shape or form that should be allowed,” he said after the game. “I’ve been in the league for a while. The fans (are) gonna say whatever they want. Don’t ever call me out of my name, because I would never do that to anybody else. I think that crossed the line. I got kids. I got a family. That’s not OK at all, so I just went to go tell him that (in) no disrespectful way, as calm as I am right now.”
One fan reportedly apologized when Thomas confronted him and said, “I just wanted a Frosty.” He and another fan were ordered to leave the arena, and Thomas was ejected from the game. He said both fans seemed “clearly drunk,” and a security guard added that they had been targeting Thomas all night.
There has been no word from the NBA on what Thomas’ punishment might be, but Katz points out that the league has been very sensitive about players going into the stands for any reason since “Malice in the Palace” in Detroit in 2004. Thomas said he remained controlled as he approached the fans, and several of his teammates supported his version of events.
Katz notes that the NBA has experienced a recent string of uncomfortable fan interactions. A Warriors fan and a former minority owner pushed Kyle Lowry during the NBA Finals, and Russell Westbrook confronted a fan in Utah last season who allegedly made a racially charged comment.
“The league knows I did nothing wrong. I didn’t disrespect anybody,” Thomas said. “As a man, I went and looked him in the eye and told him that was not OK. I didn’t scare nobody. I didn’t even use a curse word. So when the league investigates, I’m going to tell them the exact same thing, and hopefully, they should understand it.”
IT is one of the great guys in the league. A shame these guys were being tool bags.
I like IT, but I do think he crossed the line. The fan flipped him off with both hands and said something to the effect of “Fu**” you b****” 3 times. Stuff like this to a degree happens at every game. The fan didn’t use racial slurs nor did he throw anything at Thomas. That’s not enough to put yourself or the other fans in danger. I don’t care how respectful Thomas was it’s too easy to start a riot with emotions running high and a large crowd packed into an arena.
You’re not wrong about staying out of the stands, but since when is it ok for fans to be obnoxious, personal, and profane? Every team in the league has a code of conduct for fans, and every team fails to enforce it.
I don’t know if Isaiah meant to do this or not, but he’s putting the teams in a pickle. If they come down hard on him, they look like they don’t care about the players. If they give him a slap in the wrist, other players are going to do the same thing.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, dude. Your passive/aggressive stance will do nothing to end these minor infractions. I’m not condoning the fan’s behavior. But players need to have thicker skin when non-violent heckling occurs. Fans weren’t race-baiting. IT should know better, especially in Philadelphia, where being a Dbag Is a rite of passage with a ticket purchase.
Yes, I agree that Thomas can’t go in the stands. But how are players supposed to highlight the fact that teams aren’t enforcing their own rules? And why is the limit racial? Why isn’t the limit “don’t say things you wouldn’t say in front of your mom or your kids?”
This isn’t about thick skin. This is about human decency.
I personally wouldn’t say this kind of stuff in front of my mom or kids but people do say this kind of stuff. Honestly just a fan having harmless fun. The fan didn’t hurt anyone and was just quite frankly ribbing Thomas for messing up his Frosty. Thomas overreacted.
Teams do enforce the rules when it comes to stuff that actually matters like racial slurs in Utah or physically touching someone in Oakland.
Thomas should get a sizeable suspension.The league has to let players know that you can’t go into the stands for whatever reason unless it’s a threat to personal safety. Just too many variables and combustible elements.
You’re holding Philadelphia fans to a standard that fail parents at Little League games.
If you think sports fans in Philly are NOT going to be obnoxious then you’re a fool. The stands would be empty if you tried to weed them out lol
“I just wanted a frosty”. Idiot.
Well, at least he was honest
… hiding behind his beer.
fans don’t belong on the court, players don’t belong in the seats. if he has a problem with a fan he needs to go through the team. I wouldn’t want my million dollar investment hurt because of a drunk
Well said.
Why not put a wall around the court in some sort of fashion similar to the boards in hockey. Maybe do the court, 3 feet of separation, then a wall, start seats after the wall.
No thanks, comrad.
So soft. If you’re gonna call someone that and then back down and say you just wanted a frosty then you shouldn’t have been saying that in the first place. I think fans should be able to call NBA players anything, they should just have to beat them in a fistfight first.
IT does not get to make the rules based on what he thinks a “man” should do. NBA investigates and assesses what the fan did, what arena security did and what IT did then dishes out fines, bans, or whatever.
Are those fans really mad they didn’t get a free frosty? They are a dollar get over it
At least the Wizards defense will improve if Isaiah gets suspended.
Instead of backing up the Brinks truck, he should hire an Ice cream truck to giveaway Frosties next home game. This is pathetic on his part. His life isn’t working so he goes into the stands to correct clearly drunk people from saying mean things! Really? Sounds like a load of ”load of management” to me…People pay for their tickets if they’re not saying anything ”racial ” let them say what they want. Thin skinned little jerk who overplayed his contract demands and now can’t even win a Frosty for some drunks…Pathetic jerk