Los Angeles Clippers point guard Austin Rivers decided late in Thursday night’s loss to the Utah Jazz that he had heard enough from a fan sitting courtside, and that led to an ugly verbal exchange. After the game, Rivers explained why he was so upset.
Television cameras captured Rivers telling the fan he was being “disrespectful” and that he should “shut the f— up.” Rivers said the fan didn’t even say anything about him personally, but he felt the need to fire back.
“He was being a fairweather a– fan,” Rivers said, via ClutchPoints.com. “He was talking s— about the team, but he was cheering the first half. And then the second half he was talking about Steve Ballmer and Doc (Rivers) and (DeAndre Jordan) and saying demeaning stuff to my other teammates (like), ‘Austin and DJ, y’all need help.’
“I don’t like that. I like fans who ride or die with you, and there’s a lot of good ones here that show up to the game. He was talking s— about the team, not even me.”
You can see the video of the exchange here, but beware that it contains inappropriate language.
Rivers, who scored a season-high 25 points in the game, said he apologized to the fan before leaving the court.
“I went up after the game and apologized to the guy cuz at the end of the day, I’m the professional, he’s not,” Rivers said. “We shook hands and said my bad.”
Professional athletes are supposed to be just that, but they’re also humans. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an NBA player lash out at fans, and it won’t be the last.
