The Sixers have banned one fan indefinitely from all future Sixers games and events at Wells Fargo Center as well as suspended a second fan from games this season following incidents Thursday night involving Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, a team spokesperson confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin first reported the fan's indefinite ban.
Anthony told reporters that fans said "unacceptable" things to him Thursday during the fourth quarter of the Lakers' loss to the Sixers. Per The Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike, Anthony told reporters that fans called him "boy."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“It is what it is,” Anthony said to reporters. “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’re going to see. ... I’m sure the people that are in charge will take care of it accordingly, deal with it accordingly. My job is done when it comes to that.”
Joel Embiid tried to smooth things over between Anthony and the fans, though he didn't hear what was said.
“I’m not sure,” Embiid said after the game. “I was just trying to calm the situation, because they kept going back and forth. I really just wanted to go home and finish the game. That’s why I wanted to calm the situation down, so we can just play and move on.”
NBA
Anthony had no specific suggestions for discipline but noted the comments also would've crossed a line outside of a sporting context.
“That’s not up to me,” he said. “I’m not in control of that. ... Sometimes you try to play through it, play through the heckling, but that’s all fun and games. I’ve been doing that for 19, 20 years. Especially coming here, it’s been a great place to come and play and I know how the fans are here.
“But there’s just certain things you don’t bring to any type of sporting event. There’s 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. But again, it’s out of my hands now. However they want to play it, they’re going to play it.”
The Sixers also banned a fan last postseason. After a spectator threw popcorn on an injured Russell Westbrook, the team issued the fan an indefinite ban from Wells Fargo Center events, revoked his season tickets, and apologized to Westbrook.