Isaiah Thomas has been suspended for two games without pay by the NBA for going into the crowd to confront a pair of 76ers fans that were heckling him. The two fans involved in the altercation have also been banned from the Wells Fargo Center for a year.
After the game, Thomas explained the situation from his point of view, while wearing an Allen Iverson jersey to honor the Sixers legend.
"I'm never gonna be disrespected in any way. My dad taught me at a young age don't ever let anybody call you out of your name. It doesn't matter who I am, that's not gonna hapen. When I missed the first free throw, and made the second, I'm running back, the fan had both of his middle fingers up and said, 'f--k you, b---h' three times. So then the timeout goes, and I go in the stands and confront him. I said, 'don't be disrespectful.' That calm. I'm a man before anything, and be a fan. His response was, 'I'm sorry, I just wanted a frosty.' Because if you miss two free throws the fans get a frosty."
The NBA released an statement regarding the situation but realistically, Thomas did address the fans in the middle of the game in a calm way.
“NBA rules state that any player who deliberately enters the spectator stands during a game will be automatically ejected and subject to a fine and/or suspension.”
This is not the first time in the last couple of months that an NBA players has had an altercation with a fan. Russell Westbrook had an argument with a Utah Jazz fan while Kyle Lowry was pushed by a Golden State Warriors fan as he was in the stands.
There's no place in the league or in any sport in general for fans like this, and a ban from all the NBA Arenas should do more than enough for them to learn their lesson.