Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns may have been nothing more than a preseason game, but there was no shortage of action in this one — especially among the fans.
Toward the final couple of minutes in the third quarter, a fan was forcefully ejected from the game after reportedly attempting to shoot the ball from behind the basket. The officials were not at all pleased about the interruption, which ultimately led to security dragging the man out of the Acrisure Arena in Plam Dessert, California.
The incident caught the attention of the Lakers bench, with LeBron James, in particular, having a bit of a good time at the expense of the ejected fan.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In the video below, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is seen signaling for the fan’s ejection. LeBron was also laughing on the bench with Anthony Davis and their other Lakers teammates as he watched security remove the said fan from his seat.
As the broadcast indicated, the fan resisted the ejection, which turned into a bit of a physical altercation involving multiple security personnel.
Below is a fan angle of the scene in question.
The incident ended up becoming the center of attention for the entire arena for a minute or two. So much so that even Suns star Kevin Durant could not help but send a harsh NSFW message to the fan as the latter was being escorted out of the arena.
An expert lip-reader is not required to determine Durant’s savage four-word message here.
The game was eventually resumed, and it was the Suns who emerged with a 118-114 victory.
Durant finished with just six points, five rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. LeBron, who made history in this one by playing with his son Bronny James for the first time in an NBA (preseason) game, went off in the first half, scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting (15 points in the second quarter), along with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two triples in just 16 minutes of action.
Unfortunately for them, the Lakers are now 0-2 to start the preseason. Their next game is on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
