Raptors: LeBron’s Courtside Karen interaction could change things for Raptors, NBA

While NBA players and fans occasionally getting into some verbal altercations is by no means extraordinary, the negative interaction between a star player and a fan that made waves on social media could serve as a sobering lesson that both the Toronto Raptors and the league as a whole must learn from.

The incident involved Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar LeBron James playing in Atlanta when a fan decided to say something the “King” did not like. Unbeknownst to that fan in question, LeBron’s actions show just how quickly the relationship between the entertainers and patrons can deteriorate.

He sniped back with a few verbal digs after some non-stop heckling, and then the fan’s wife felt the need to remove her face covering and issue and respond. Luckily, nothing further came of it, and the offending fans were escorted out of the building.

For his part, as reported in a cbssports.com article, LeBron James stated that the incident “was a back-and-forth between two grown men” and “might’ve had a couple of drinks” before they started tearing into him.

However, while James may have welcomed the interaction and fans may wish they could fill NBA arenas once again, rules are rules. The lady removed her face covering in a pandemic. Just as Kyle Lowry was thrown out of a game recently vs. the Sacramento Kings for saying something female referee Natalie Sago did not like, fans can be expelled from games for similar activity.

So what is the take away from the LeBron James situation in Atlanta this past week? Barriers have to be required whenever the NBA returns to its normal process.

The Toronto Raptors and the NBA need to put barriers near the court

We have all seen sporting events that end with the crowd swarming the playing surface to celebrate their team’s victory and successes. It is dangerous and should be discouraged in times like these.

Just as we are expected in this age of the COVID-19 pandemic to wear a barrier to prevent spittle and mucus particles spraying and potentially contaminating our fellow human beings or being contaminated ourselves, a barrier should be a permanent feature to separate hot-headed athletes from unruly fans.

Consider this. There is no other professional team sport where fans are right on the playing surface, just feet away from the players. We have seen Dennis Rodman land on a cameraman sitting just under the baseline, and his reaction, rightfully or not, was to kick that person and earn a suspension.

There was the “Malice at the Palace” in Auburn Hills in 2004 involving a nasty brawl that started between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. Now known as Metta World Peace, Ron Artest was hit with a drink from the crowd, and it touched off a fight between players and fans. Nine spectators were injured, and four players were suspended.

Russell Westbrook had an incident with a fan in 2019 in Utah that cost him $25,000 and got the fan banished permanently from Utah Jazz games and all events at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Utah.

It may mean removing a few seats (maybe the first or second row of seats) considered courtside, which obviously fetch franchises’ a hefty price tag, but a padded barrier would help keep fans and players at a safe distance from each other.

A barrier could help the Raptors in Tampa

The 2019 NBA Playoffs should have been a happy unforgettable time for anyone involved with the Raptors franchise. However, two incidents tainted the whole experience. The most relevant one to this issue was when Kyle Lowry was unceremoniously and unnecessarily shoved and berated by a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors when he went diving into the courtside seats trying to retrieve a loose ball.

For his foul behavior in game three of the 2019 NBA Finals, Mark Stevens was fined $500,000 by the NBA and suspended for a year.

Right now, the Raptors are playing basketball in hostile waters. Displaced for a second season in a row due to the pandemic, the Amalie Center’s confines in Tampa may feel more like a road game than their home. It is an environment wherein a frustrated player to lash out at an annoying, trashing talking fan. A barrier provides a natural divide and gives time to cool down.

A barrier has plenty of benefits the Raptors

The benefits of a barrier are varied with really only one drawback, as it will mean fewer seats around the perimeter of the court and perhaps fewer ticket sales. However, with multiple mutations of the COVID-19 pandemic, unmasked players diving for loose balls will no longer end up in the fans’ lap or personal space. This will help prevent the spread of a contagion.

As mentioned with the Lowry incident in the Finals and what happened in Detroit all those years ago, both players and fans would have to make a conscious choice to violate the players’ realm: the court or the fans’ realm: the stands.

If the barrier is well padded and placed in the right spot, a player can still give a hell-bent effort to retrieve a loose ball and have a softer landing than stumbling into and over fans or camera equipment in which either fan or player could get hurt. Courtside fans behind it can still see the court action with an unimpeded sightline.

While a barrier will not stop crazy, as we have seen in the MLB putting nets up in foul ground and the NHL’s insistence on glass partitions, fans and players alike will find ways to interact negatively with each other if they want to, it is not a foolproof solution. Still, it could prevent a myriad of lawsuits in the future for the Raptors and the NBA.