Sam Amico
Videos by OutKick
Things didn’t go well for Chris Paul and the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns on Sunday. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series and Paul’s family reportedly lost their cool with an obnoxious Mavericks fan.
The game was in Dallas, so it’s safe to say Paul and his teammates were getting an earful most of the afternoon.
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Paul’s wife was pushed by a Mavs fan, who also put their hands on his mother. Paul’s kids witnessed the whole ordeal in the stands and reportedly felt unsafe.
The Mavericks released a statement after the game, admitting there was an incident and saying the fan was removed from the arena as a result.
“The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident between a fan and the family of Chris Paul. It was unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated,” the statement read. “The Mavericks, along with American Airlines Center, swiftly removed the fan from today’s game.”
Statement from the Mavs after Game 4: “The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident between a fan and the family of Chris Paul. It was unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated. The Mavericks, along with American Airlines Center, swiftly removed the fan from today’s game.” https://t.co/nBW7dPkj0E
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 9, 2022
Paul was a little less diplomatic in releasing a statement of his own.
“Wanna fine players for saying stuff to the fans but the fans can put they hands on our families….fuck that!!” he tweeted.
For whatever reason, things have been getting frisky in this year’s NBA playoffs, league-wide. Fans seem to be becoming more obnoxious and players are responding. After all, who can forget the Kyrie Irving situation? Or Draymond Green last week? Both players gave opposing fans the double bird.
Wanna fine players for saying stuff to the fans but the fans can put they hands on our families….fuck that!!
— Chris Paul (@CP3) May 8, 2022
On top of all that, fans also have been fighting with each other on a regular basis. But badgering players is one thing. Yelling at their families is out of bounds.
Follow Sam Amico @WireHoops
JackAss sports fans are like cockroaches … you will never totally get rid of them. Simply stomp everyone you see. Stadium /Arena security needs to be alert and move quickly when an incident ignites.
BE AWARE that trouble can start from both sides as we saw with Patrick Mahones’ goofball family in Arrowhead.
.