On Monday night, the Washington Wizards defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their NBA Playoffs series. That’s the good news. But something else happened last night during the game which also got significant attention.
Toward the end of the third quarter of the game, a fan ran onto the court briefly before getting tackled by Capital One Arena security. The fan was ultimately arrested. To watch the incident, you can see it above.
While this particular fan didn’t seem to be openly trying to do anything else besides streak the court with his clothes on, at least based on this observation, it’s still dangerous.
The incident also continues a string of behavior that also involved players in the past week as the NBA Playoffs started. Russell Westbrook had popcorn dropped on him toward the end of Game 2. A Boston Celtics fan threw a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving in another. A New York Knicks fan spit at Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. And some Utah Jazz fans said racist comments at Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant’s parents. All of it is disturbing.
After the incident, Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced that the fan was banned and that Metropolitan police will charge him.
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
This is the right decision. While it is exciting for people to get back to NBA games again, behave properly. Don’t run onto the court or yell personal insults at players or throw things at them. The world is crazy enough as it is.