Knicks Fan Who Spit on Trae Young Banned Indefinitely; Hawks Star Won't Press Charges
May 27, 2021
A New York Knicks fan who spat on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during Wednesday's playoff game at Madison Square Garden has been banned from the arena.
Per an official statement from the Knicks, the fan is banned indefinitely and their information has been turned over to the authorities:
Malika Andrews of ESPN spoke to Young's agent Omar Wilkes who said the Hawks point guard won't press charges against the fan.
Malika Andrews @malika_andrewsTrae Young has declined to press any charges against the fan who spit on him Wednesday night at the MSG. When reached, his agent Omar Wilkes said: "We appreciate the Garden's response to the incident and Trae's focus remains on his teammates and Game 3." https://t.co/CJ2xNZklNU
The Knicks fan's actions weren't the only example of bad fan behavior during Wednesday's playoff games.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced the fan who dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook has been banned from all events at the Wells Fargo Center and had his season tickets revoked.
After video was posted online appearing to show a fan spitting on Young, the Hawks star addressed the matter on Twitter.
"Damn... Crazy," he wrote.
Young was standing on the sideline waiting for the referee to give him the ball for an inbounds pass when the spitting occurred.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant addressed the situation with the fans on Twitter:
The Knicks noted the fan isn't a season-ticket holder, but he will be unable to attend events at Madison Square Garden.
With the exception of the spitting situation, Knicks fans have spent the first two games of the Eastern Conference playoff series playfully heckling Young. The All-Star was the subject of "f--k Trae Young" chants before each game.
A picture circulated online showing that Knicks fans were instructed to chant "Trae is balding" for Game 2.
The Knicks defeated the Hawks 101-92 to even their series at one game apiece.