Things got intense during the Suns’ Game 4 NBA playoffs loss against the Mavericks over the weekend, as star Chris Paul got into a fiery exchange with a fan who allegedly pushed one of his family members in the stands at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The video below shows a fan wearing a green Luka Doncic jersey arguing with Paul and various other players and fans. As the fan in question gets up and is escorted out of the game, Paul can be seen yelling at him.
Paul Fights With Fan
https://twitter.com/DallasTexasTV/status/1523462415635009537
“Hey! I’ll see you later. I’ll see you later,” Paul reportedly shouted at the fan.
According to the Arizona Republic, the fan “put his hands” on Paul’s mother in a fight that broke out during the fourth quarter of the game. When Paul was told what had happened by his father, he almost went into the stands to deal with it himself before the fan was removed from the premises.
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The Charles Barkley Solution
Charles Barkley weighed in, saying, “[W]e could put an end to all this stuff. … Let’s take it right down to center court for five minutes, I’ve always said that.”
“[J]ust give me five minutes at center court with them,” Barkley continued. “[S]ay ‘You ain’t gonna press no charges, ain’t nobody gonna be sued civilly. Say what you just said to me right to my face and for these five minutes I’m gonna beat your a– and beat the hell out of you.'”
“Some of the stuff these fans say. Let’s take it right down to center court for five minutes.”
Charles Barkley’s solution to checking reckless fans at NBA games 😂 pic.twitter.com/c8lSx22IR4
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 9, 2022
Unsurprisingly, most people didn’t think that was a good idea. But not always for the reason you might expect.
Stop it some of these athletes would get rocked.
— Shikisama (@Shikisama_1) May 9, 2022
Paul’s Family ‘Felt Very Unsafe’
Paul’s wife also reportedly ended up being pushed during this altercation, and his children witnessed the fight take place, which likely only added to his anger. It should be noted that this incident occurred on Mother’s Day, which likely only heightened the emotions of everyone involved. Paul reportedly talked to security personnel on the sidelines to attempt to get assistance for his family.
“They felt very unsafe,” one source close to the family told ESPN.
The Mavericks have since addressed the situation in a brief statement.
“The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident between a fan and the family of Chris Paul,” the Mavericks said. “It was unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated. The Mavericks, along with American Airlines Center, swiftly removed the fan from today’s game.”
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Paul Sounds Off
Paul later sounded off about what happened on Twitter, writing, “Wanna fine players for saying stuff to the fans but the fans can put they hands on our families….f— that!!”
Fox News reported that Paul played 23 minutes of this game, and he had five points, five rebounds, and seven assists. According to CNN, Paul ultimately fouled out of the game for the first time since 2018.
“I can’t put myself in the situations to give [the referees] that ability to do that,” Paul said. “I just got to look at myself and figure out how to be better.”
This series is now tied 2-2, and Game 5 is set to take place tomorrow night in Phoenix. Here’s hoping that there’s a little less drama in that game than there was yesterday!