Carmelo Anthony of the Los Angeles Lakers deems the taunting of supporters during the team's defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers "unacceptable."
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During the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 105-87 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, Carmelo Anthony took issue with some fans harassing him, calling the behavior “unacceptable.” Referees and players from both sides intervened throughout the game as a result of the occurrences. Anthony challenged a fan behind a row of courtside seats near center court at Wells Fargo Center with 7 minutes, 1 second left in the fourth quarter. Afterward, Anthony said that the fan referred to him as “boy.”
The play was halted for several minutes as security agents moved closer to the scene of the altercation and referees steered Anthony away from the conflict.
“Some things were said,” Anthony said afterward. “Unacceptable. I’m cool with fans heckling, fans talking trash, cheering for their team, booing the other team, I’m all for that. But when you cross certain lines, as a man, you just, that’s what you’re going to see. That’s what you’re going to get, as you saw there.”
Another fan sat courtside harassed Anthony with similarly nasty comments while things were being straightened out, according to Anthony.
When a courtside spectator sought to exacerbate the situation, Sixers center Joel Embiid rushed to Anthony’s aid.
26 PTS | 9 REB | 7 AST
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“I was just trying to calm the situation because they were just going back and forth, and I really wanted to just go home and finish the game,” Embiid said. “So, yes, that’s what I wanted, to calm the situation down so we could play and move on.”
One spectator was expelled, according to a Sixers representative, and any additional action will be handled by the Wells Fargo Center.
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Anthony stated that he would accept any additional efforts taken to rectify the matter, but that they’ll be “out of his hands.”
“Unacceptable language and unacceptable behavior by fans is the simplest way to put it,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “There’s got to be a higher standard. And hopefully that’s handled the right way.”
The fans Thursday night may have “crossed the line,” according to Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, who has had multiple disastrous in-game run-ins prompted by excessive crowd conduct over the years, notably in Philadelphia in 2016 and 2021.
While Philadelphia sports fans have a bad reputation, Anthony said the incident on Thursday didn’t match his previous visits to the city as a visiting player.
