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Russell Westbrook endured a tough outing on Wednesday as the Washington Wizards got bullied 95-120 by the Philadelphia 76ers. To make matters worse, Westbrook suffered an injury to his right ankle early on in the fourth quarter.
As Westbrook headed to the locker room, a fan in the arena decided to dampen the mood even further by throwing popcorn at him. This elicited an immediate response out of Mr. Triple-Double, but security at the arena kept him in check.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Russell Westbrook expressed his frustration about the incident.
"To be honest, this sh*t is getting out of hand, especially for me," Westbrook said. "The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f*ck they want to do. It’s just out of pocket, man. Seriously. In the other setting I'm all for the fans enjoying the game, having fun. It's part of sports, I get it. But there are certain things that cross the line."
This is not the first time Russell Westbrook has had trouble in Philadelphia. Back in 2016, a fan was ejected from the Wells Fargo Center for giving Westbrook the bird.
The 2017 MVP called on the league to do something about the situation. He said:
""In these arenas, you got to start protecting the players. We'll see what the NBA does. ... Obviously, I have learned to look the other way. But to a certain extent, you can't just keep looking the other way. There has to be some penalties or something to put in place where fans just can't come to the games and do and say as they please."
Russell Westbrook receives support after popcorn incident
There was a massive outcry on social media about the incident, with fans and analysts all lobbying for Russell Westbrook. LeBron James was among the first names to tweet in support of Westbrook, demanding that the players be protected.
Popular NBA analyst Skip Bayless also chimed in on the incident.
It goes without saying that there's no room for sordid acts like the one Russell Westbrook had to face during tonight's game. Incidents of fans misbehaving with the players are becoming increasingly common too. It's time for the league to step in and deal with the situation promptly.
