Outside Madison Square Garden, Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs raised its ugly head. Since then, multiple footage of New York fans assaulting San Antonio fans on the streets have appeared on social media.
Videos of Spurs supporters being assaulted and abused have been circulating online following the team’s 115–111 victory at The Garden on Monday night. Some of the videos showed Spurs supporters being verbally abused in public and having their jerseys torn off.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Spurs player Victor Wembanyama was made aware of those tumultuous and violent postgame events and used the occasion to denounce any kind of fan violence. He said:
“Hm, I didn’t know that”. “My thoughts of course [are] that we can’t forget it’s a game. We’re just playing a game out there. And I am all for passion, but to the respect of each other. It’s unacceptable.”
In light of the viral videos of New York City, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns was asked for his message to fans. He made it plain that “respect” for one another comes first and foremost. Towns said:
“The game is built off of respect and passion”. “We want everyone to respect each other. We want everyone to enjoy basketball at its purest state. It’s the NBA Finals. There’s no better place to watch basketball. Leave the physicality to everyone on the court.”
Before Game 3, Knicks supporters were observed making fun of Spurs players at their New York hotel, welcoming them to their home field. However, a Spurs representative told ESPN that there haven’t been any security-related problems while the team has been in New York.
