The Cleveland Cavaliers have identified the fan who taunted San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills with racially insensitive remarks on Sunday, and it will be at least a year before the fan is allowed inside Quicken Loans Arena again.
A Cavs spokesperson told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the fan has been banned indefinitely, and his situation will be reviewed after a year.
The Cavs have identified the person who heckled Patty Mills, according to a Cavs spokesman. He has been banned from Quicken Loans Arena indefinitely, with a review to come after a period of one year.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 27, 2018
Following San Antonio’s 110-94 win over the Cavs on Sunday, a video was shared on social media that showed a fan yelling “Hey Jamaica called, they want their bobsledder back!” while Mills was at the free throw line. Mills responded to the tweet and ripped the “hateful fan.”
@KingJames am I the only one who heard this guy in the crowd yell “hey Jamaican dog they want their bobsledder back! Hey @Patty_Mills Jamaica just called, they want their bobsledder back!” #SundayFunday ??? @NBA pic.twitter.com/RvHdu88Gzd
— Zandra Ashley (@thats_Z_Truth) February 25, 2018
Thanks @thats_Z_Truth. I am a proud Islander. Like my Jamaican Brothers, me & my family in the islands of the Torres Strait have experienced racial slurs for decades. Hope your efforts will enlighten this confused, hateful fan. #BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/yH3nKlGv4A
— Patrick Mills (@Patty_Mills) February 26, 2018
Mills is a native of Australia, and his father is a Torres Strait Islander and mother is an Aboriginal Australian.
Unfortunately, racists taunts from fans are not all that uncommon. Some NHL fans recently shouted racial slurs at an opposing player during a game, and the action the Blackhawks took against them was a bit more harsh.
