Julius Randle has the New York Knicks NBA playoff relevant for the first time in a long time and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has Knicks fans up to their usual antics.
With 8:34 left in the fourth quarter, a fan standing behind rapper 50 Cent’s girlfriend Jamira Haines, can be seen spitting in Young’s direction as he is waiting to receive the ball from the referee. Young has become the focus of Knicks’ fan venom after his Game 1 performance ended with an Atlanta Hawks win and Young allegedly mouthing to the crowd, “It’s quiet as $%&# in here.”
This was the second incident involving a fan on Wednesday night after Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook had popcorn tossed on him by a Philadelphia 76er fan as he was leaving the floor after an injury.
After an investigation by the Knicks, the fan was identified and banned from the arena with this statement:
“We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young, and for that reason, he is now banned from The Garden indefinitely. We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan’s behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue. We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities,” the team said.
Young has declined to press charges and issued a statement through his agent Omar Wilkes, “We appreciate the Garden’s response to the incident, and Trae’s focus remains on his teammates and Game 3.”
At this point, players need to press charges against these fans or these classless acts will continue. In New York City, the violation of spitting currently holds a penalty of a fine but the MTA Labor Coalition is calling for violations such as spitting, which are common in NYC, to be considered misdemeanor assaults.
Flip the page to see the fan spit on Young and comments from Trae’s father, Ray.
