LeBron James calls for player protection after fan dumps popcorn on Russell Westbrook
Lakers star LeBron James didn’t play on Wednesday night, but he was furious about what happened at another NBA playoff game.
During the 76ers’ 120-96 win over the Wizards in Philadelphia, a fan dumped popcorn on Washington’s Russell Westbrook as he headed toward the locker room after suffering an ankle injury.
James tweeted that he wants to see the fan who showered Westbrook with popcorn and called for players to be protected.
“By the way WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!!” James tweeted. “There’s cameras all over arenas so there’s no excuse! ... #ProtectOurPlayers.”
The Washington Post reported that Westbrook saw the fan leave the area.
“A spokesman for Wells Fargo Center did not immediately respond to an inquiry as to whether the fan had been ejected from the arena,” the Post wrote. “Westbrook said he saw the fan ‘run away.’”
Valerie Camillo, president of business operations for the Wells Fargo Center, said the fan engaged in “classless, unacceptable behavior, and we’re not going to tolerate it.”
Westbrook also wants the NBA to take steps to protect players.
“To be completely honest, this ... is getting out of hand, especially for me,” Westbrook told reporters after the game. “The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever ... they want to do — it’s just out of pocket. Seriously. In any other setting, I’m all for the fans enjoying the game and having fun. It’s part of sports, I get it.
“But there are certain things that cross the line. In any other setting I know for a fact that guy wouldn’t come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head, you know what happens. ... In these arenas, you’ve got to start protecting the players.”
