After a recent quarrel between Demarcus Cousins and a Lakers fan this past Monday that resulted in Cousins explicitly shouting at the individual in the stands, Drew Hoffar from KNBR 1050 The Audible examined the common trend of lashing out at NBA players during games. This is not the first time an incident like this has happened. Fellow basketball players Russel Westbrook and Marcus Smart have faced similar cases in which they also responded aggressively at hecklers trying to steal the athletes’ attention.
Is it appropriate for professional athletes to respond to verbal attacks on the court? In Hoffar’s opinion, it’s inappropriate that fans think they can mess with professional athletes during a game at all. This type of behavior would never occur in any other public setting between two strangers, yet fans treat NBA players differently when they’re trying to perform.
“Why do we feel it necessary to let those emotions out while they’re performing on the court? Because they make millions of dollars? I’m not buying it. I think that’s a soft take.”
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