The New York Knicks have banned a fan who spit on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night. The incident happened in the fourth quarter before the Knicks came away with a victory.
“We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young, and for that reason, he is now banned from The Garden indefinitely,” the Knicks said in a statement. “We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan’s behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue. We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities,”
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I think a fan spit on @TheTraeYoung pic.twitter.com/3wB8ndjCBK
— Jose Ramos (@jamosramos4) May 27, 2021
Young responded to the incident, stating he will not press charges on the fan. “We appreciate the Garden’s response to the incident, and Trae’s focus remains on his teammates and Game 3,” Young’s agent, Omar Wilkes, said. This comes on the same night that Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook got popcorn dumped on his head by a Philadelphia 76ers fan as he was walking off the court. It led to Young’s father, Ray Young sending a message to the NBA.
“Gotta get this under control. [Russell Westbrook] gets popcorn thrown on him & [Trae Young]
gets spat on,” Ray Young wrote on Twitter. “I can deal with all the chants about my son, it comes with it. But this needs to be addressed.” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said he wasn’t made aware of the incident until Thursday morning but said what the fan did was unacceptable.
“You have to draw a line,” McMillan said. “Unfortunately, I just think we’re living in a society where really, people just don’t have respect anymore. In no way should that be allowed or should that happen at a sporting event or really any event where you are coming to watch a game. I think New York did what they should’ve done in that situation. It’s uncalled for. And it shouldn’t happen.” Trae Young has angered Knicks fans for his play on the court. In Game 1, Young hit the game-winning shot to give the Hawks the 1-0 lead and talked trash to the fans afterward.
