Isaiah Thomas’ suspension for going into the stands, explained

Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas has been suspended for two games after going into the stands to confront two fans who were heckling him, the NBA has announced.

The incident happened late the fourth quarter during the Philadelphia 76ers’ win over the Wizards on Saturday night. The situation reportedly started brewing when Thomas went to the free-throw line with just over three minutes remaining and the Wizards trailing by 15 points. Thomas missed the first throw and made the second. After a timeout, he walked into the stands to talk to two 76ers fans who he said were shouting expletives at him.

Thomas and the fans exchanged words, and he was ejected as he returned to the bench. You can watch video of what happened here:

While the incident was peaceful, NBA rules dictate that any player who enters the stands will be ejected and subject to a suspension. The 76ers in turn disciplined both fans and the season ticket holder who gave them the tickets.

Thomas said that as he was running back from his second free throw, the fans held their middle fingers up and said, ‘F--- you, b----,’ three times. Thomas entered the stands at the next timeout and said he told the fans not to disrespectful. The fans told him that they just wanted a Frosty from Wendy’s. The 76ers give away a Frosty to fans if an opposing player misses two free throws in a row in the fourth quarter.

You can watch TV coverage of the incident and Thomas’ explanation here:

When Thomas’ two-game suspension came down the next evening, he tweeted “B-llshit!”.

The 76ers announced both fans were banned from all events at the Wells Fargo Center for the next year. The team also revoked the season tickets of the fan who transferred the tickets to the the hecklers.