Fan Banned After Trying To Run On Court During Sixers-Wizards Game 4
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) — A fan who ran onto the court during the Sixers-Wizards Game 4 in Washington, D.C. has been banned from the arena. Monumental Sports and Entertainment announced Monday night the fan was banned from Capital One Arena and charges are being pursued with police.
During this evening's game, a fan was apprehended by Capital One Arena Special Police after attempting to breach the court. He will be banned from the arena and charges are being pursued with DC MPD.
— Monumental Sports & Entertainment (@MSE) June 1, 2021
Video of the fan being tackled after running onto the court during the game went viral Monday night. It's the latest example of unruly behavior as teams increase the number of spectators they're allowing in the stands during the pandemic.
A fan attempted to run on the court in the middle of Game 4 between the Sixers-Wizards pic.twitter.com/51pdBKOxwh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 1, 2021
The players were heading toward Washington's basket in the third quarter when the action was halted while a member of security held the person down near the baseline.
The fan then was escorted away from the court and play resumed after a brief interruption.
After beginning this season with zero spectators allowed at its arena, Washington has steadily increased the capacity to the point where Monday's contest — Game 4 against Philadelphia in their first-round series — had an announced attendance more than 10,000.
This comes days after a Sixers' fan dumped popcorn on Wizards star Russell Westbrook, In Game 2 at Philadelphia, Westbrook had popcorn dumped on him as he walked to the locker room after getting injured.
On Sunday in the Celtics-Nets series, Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving was nearly hit by a bottle thrown from the stands during a game in Boston.
Kevin Durant, Irving's teammate, had some powerful words after the water bottle incident and the recent rise in unacceptable fan behavior.
"Fans got to grow up at some point," Durant said. "I know that being in the house for a year and a half with the pandemic got a lot of people on edge, got a lot of people stressed out, but when you come to these games, you have to realize these men are human. We are not animals, we are not in the circus. You coming to the game is not all about you as a fan. So, have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn't be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players or spitting on players or tossing popcorn. So grow the f- up and enjoy the game. It's bigger than you."
Earlier, in New York, a spectator spit at Atlanta's Trae Young as he prepared to inbound the ball during the Knicks-Hawks series.
Three fans were banned in Utah after Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said they "just went too far" with him or his family.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)