Fan has season-ticket membership revoked and is banned from the Wells Fargo Center for dumping popcorn on Russell Westbrook
Valerie Camillo, the arena’s president of business operations, called the fan’s actions “classless, unacceptable behavior.”
The 76ers revoked the season-ticket membership of the fan who dumped popcorn on Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook during Wednesday’s game.
The person is also indefinitely banned from all events at the Wells Fargo Center. This comes after an investigation into the incident that occurred early in the fourth quarter of the Sixers’ 120-95 Game 2 victory over the Wizards.
The Sixers fan in Section 104 was ejected for his actions as Westbrook exited with an ankle injury with 10 minutes, 29 seconds remaining in the game. The popcorn was poured on the star guard’s head through a gap in the exit tunnel.
“I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens,” Westbrook said after the game. “In these arenas, you gotta start protecting players. We’ll see what the NBA does.”
The NBA issued a statement Thursday morning that read:
“The return of more NBA fans to our arena has brought great excitement and energy to the start of the playoffs, but it is critical that we all show respect for players, officials and our fellow fans. An enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced in order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved.”
Valerie Camillo, the arena’s president of business operations, called the fan’s act “classless, unacceptable behavior.”
“And we’re not going to tolerate it at Wells Fargo Center,” Camillo said in a statement. “We’re proud to have the most passionate fans in the country and the best home-court and home-ice advantage around, but this type of behavior has no place in our arena.”