Things got heated during the fourth quarter of the 76ers’ 105–87 win over the Lakers in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Two 76ers fans were tossed from the game after taunting Carmelo Anthony and drawing a heated response from the veteran forward.
After the loss, Anthony confirmed Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes's report that the fans were calling him “boy” constantly throughout the game, according to Los Angeles Times Lakers beat writer Dan Woike.
“It is what it is,” Anthony said of the incident after the game. “Some things was 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're going to see. That's what you're going to get, as you saw.
“It's just certain things you don't bring to any type of sporting event,” he continued. “Certain things you don't say to anybody. If I was outside and I bumped into you and you said those things to me, then it would be a totally different story.”
“Unacceptable language and unacceptable behavior by fans is the simplest way to put it,” L.A. coach Frank Vogel said after the game. “There’s gotta be a higher standard and hopefully that’s handled the right way.”
Ahead of the 2021–22 NBA and NHL seasons, Wells Fargo Center announced a zero-tolerance policy, which allows the facility to remove and ban fans who use race- or identity-based slurs during events.
Anthony finished with nine points and three rebounds in the Lakers’ loss.
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