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Lakers' Carmelo Anthony Says 76ers Fans Crossed 'Certain Lines' in Verbal Altercation
January 28, 2022
During Thursday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony got into an altercation with some Philadelphia fans that resulted in their removal from the arena.
After the game, Anthony said he felt the fans went too far with some of the things they were saying.
"I'm cool with fans heckling, fans talking trash. ... But when you cross certain lines, as a man, that's what you're gonna see," he told reporters. He added he hopes the Sixers organization addresses the matter.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported sources told him a fan was using offensive language toward Anthony. According to Haynes, the fan "kept calling him a 'boy' and yelling 'get in the corner boy' and 'keeping shooting boy.'"
Per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Anthony confirmed he was called "boy" and said the comments came from two different groups of people.
The incident occurred during a stoppage of play in the fourth quarter of Thursday's game. As soon as the whistle blew, Anthony made his way toward the fans before a referee stopped him and security stepped in.
The broadcast indicated those fans had been antagonizing Anthony throughout the quarter. Security escorted them out of their seats and into the tunnel.
There's been an uptick in fan-related incidents in the NBA in recent seasons. For example, a New York Knicks fan was banned from Madison Square Garden for spitting on Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young last year.
The Sixers will likely conduct an investigation, and if what was reported is found to be true, those fans may face the same fate.