USA Today via Reuters
Oct 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (4) and Golden State Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. (32) fight for a loose ball during the third quarter at Staples Center. The Warriors won 111-99. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Oct 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (4) and Golden State Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. (32) fight for a loose ball during the third quarter at Staples Center. The Warriors won 111-99. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers vs Suns game saw the former team losing on both performance and sportsman spirit grounds. Their 105-115 loss didn’t sting as much as the altercation between Anthony Davis & Dwight Howard and then the situation with Rajon Rondo did.
All of this showed that the frustration is mounting on the team that is now 0-8 (including preseason) in 2021-22. It looks like coach Frank Vogel must take his men into the boiler room and take an ethos class. Because if not, the scenes like Rondo’s argument with a fan will keep emerging.
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Fans point fingers at Lakers’ Rajon Rondo
With under two minutes left in the end of Q3 and the Lakers trailing by 32 points, Rajon Rondo got involved in courtside trouble. Perhaps because of a back-and-forth with a fan (presumably Suns fan), Rondo lost his cool and pointed a finger gun at him. The fan, carrying a drink in one hand, reacted by slapping the veteran’s hand.
The next thing everyone saw was the officials escorting the fan out on Rajon’s insistence. This left even the commentators in surprise as they could not comprehend the situation. Later, in an interview, the 4x All-Star failed to detail why the fan deserved an ejection.
I have always hated Rondo. https://t.co/whVhoQ2uya
— CY (Rarely Follow Back) (@LukeKennardStan) October 23, 2021
Ok but we all saw the finger gun and the "shooting" motion lol
— Dan (@TheTanManDanLee) October 23, 2021
"doesn't really matter what was said" = i wasn't justified in having him kicked out
— Max Graham (@MaxGraham) October 23, 2021
He’s lying about the gesture he made with his hand but if the fan didn’t say anything threatening to Rondo and Rondo violated his space and had him removed anyway, the fan needs to be reimbursed and Rondo needs to be suspended
— LakersNightly (@LakersNightly) October 23, 2021
Rondo is soft asl
— POOLE OF JORDAN burner (@JORDANPOOLE33) October 23, 2021
Obviously, the NBA fans did not like this cold gesture from a league veteran. Especially when the fans are finally out in full capacity after a long time. But was the ejection really warranted?
Read more: Lakers’ Dwight Howard Claims He & Anthony Davis “Squashed” Their Issues After Altercation
What do the NBA rules say?
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Well, what exactly happened at the Staples Center was that a spilled drink had led to a halt in the play. Then, just as the game resumed, the fan touched Rondo at the weakside corner and that became a problem. A deliberate physical contact with a player during a game can lead to the fan being ejected.
While booing/cheering is welcomed, something like a skin-to-skin contact is a big NO. So the fans in that coveted front row must acknowledge these unwritten rules because something like a verbal abuse of players/officials can lead to these punishments.
And well, last season was rife with such incidents and the world still remembers the LeBron James/courtside, Karen heckling incident. So there are some lessons here.
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But in this case, do you think it wasn’t the fan’s fault? Help us know your opinion in the comments section below.
Watch this story: The Big Threes in the 2021-22 NBA Season to Watch Out For
