Zaza Pachulia is not a fan favorite for San Antonio Spurs fans. The Golden State Warriors big man appeared to unnecessarily slide under Kawhi Leonard during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, injuring San Antonio’s best player. The Warriors were getting blown out in that game, but have since recovered and have outscored the Spurs by 50 points in three wins.
It makes sense that Spurs fans are upset with Pachulia. Gregg Popovich called his challenge reckless. But now it appears that some have taken it too far, and Pachulia has had to invest in extra security to for his family.
Speaking with USA Today, Pachulia said that extra security had been placed around his children. He also said he wished Popovich hadn’t fanned the flames with his comments.
Via USA Today:
While Pachulia was hesitant to share too many details, the situation was serious enough that security guards were deployed to the entrance of his childrens’ school in the San Francisco Bay Area as a precaution.
...
“Me as a person, as a man, I don’t mind dealing with it. But I hate to see my family deal with it. My wife and my kids who have nothing to do with it, who are very innocent. ... I just hate my family going through that. They don’t deserve that. … I’m not blaming everything on (Popovich), but he was a very big part of it.”
Threatening someone’s kids is about as low as you can go when it comes to sports fandom.
