"I say, ‘Let him shoot; he’s a little boy'!" - Carmelo Anthony's heckler Mike Murphy says his comments weren't racial in nature, told Anthony he was "soft as butter"

LA Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony was heckled and possibly subjected to racially abuse by a Philadelphia 76ers fan, Mike Murphy. The heckling led to Anthony walking toward the fan who was seated courtside, with the two exchanging words. The fan and his friend were subsequently ejected from the arena during the fourth quarter Thursday night.

Anthony said he had taken offense to being called a "boy," a racially derogatory term when used against a dark-skinned man. According to reports, Murphy has denied referring to Anthony as a "boy." He was said to have told security personnel he had said "bum."

Murphy discussed the incident on 94 WIP's "Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team show" on Friday morning, saying:

“He comes down the court. We’re blowing out in the game. I say to him, ‘You’re a little boy. Let him shoot. Let him shoot.’ He looked at me. He smiles. I think he goes down to the other end of the court. He comes back down … and I say ‘Let him shoot. He’s a little boy.’ And he lost his cool out of nowhere.”

He added that while he was being escorted out of the area, he had referred to Melo as being "soft like butter." He reiterated that he meant no harm, nor was it his intention to racially abuse the 10-time All-Star.

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Carmelo Anthony had an altercation with a 76ers fan during their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers

Carmelo Anthony of the LA Lakers confronts a heckler (not pictured) during the fourth quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The heckler was ejected from the arena.

Carmelo Anthony made his 46th appearance for the LA Lakers in Thursday night's 105-87 loss at the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers are 9-13 in road games.

During a stoppage in play with 7:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and Philadelphia leading 94-78, Anthony confronted a 76ers season-ticket holder. Anthony was allegedly the victim of a verbal assault from the fan. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid and security personnel intervened.

The fan was said to have referred to Anthony as a "boy" while heckling the Lakers power forward. He and his friend were ejected from the arena.

Anthony said he had no issue with being heckled by fans who are cheering their team on and booing the opposition, but he said the fan went too far.

“It is what it is," Anthony said. "Some things were said, 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, that’s what you are going to see. That’s what you are going to get as you saw that. I’m sure that people in charge will deal with it accordingly.”