Carlos Osorio / Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James remained diplomatic when he discussed the expulsion of several fans from Monday’s 107-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
The referees stopped the game in the fourth quarter as James had an altercation with fans on the benches. According to ESPNs Dave McMenamin, four fans were escorted out of the arena.
James told reporters after the match that he ‘missed that interaction’ with a live audience and that he ‘[didn’t] feel it is fair to be kicked out. ‘
Anthony Davis was blunted: “It was a crazy thing, but it does not happen.”
James finally laughed at the situation:
From January 26, the Falcons start allowing as many as 1,700 fans to start attending games through Feb. 24.
The current circumstances make it a particularly bad time to sit with star athletes in it while our seat sits away from the action. The relatively small number of people inside the building makes it easy to identify the parties, and Frank Vogel, coach of Lakers explain how there is a risk among fans removing their face masks to yell at players.
Willian Rondo, the brother of then-Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, was escorted from a conference semifinal between LA and the Houston Rockets at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
If nothing else, history has shown the folly of confronting James during a match.
That was the time in 2008 when LeBron took a run-up to the Toronto birds of prey, partly spurred on by Chris Bosh’s then-girlfriend, Allison Mathis. Last week, the four-time MVP took the exception of hearing that a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers front office was delighted with a three-pointer.
A three-pointer from Trae Young brought the Hawks inside a point from the Lakers with 1:40 on the clock. James responds with five quick points to dispel any doubts about the outcome.
Monday’s game will presumably be the Lakers’ only trip to Atlanta this season. When Los Angeles returns next year, Hawks fans will be wise to avoid touching it with James.