The incident occurred in a playoff game between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.
One fan escorted from Sunday’s playoff game between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns was allegedly drunk and kept “tapping” Chris Paul’s mother, NBA analyst and close family friend Kenny Smith revealed Tuesday.
Smith said during TNT’s “Inside the NBA” that Robin Paul reached out to him to explain the incident that resulted in the ejection of two fans and prompted Chris Paul to personally address those involved.
“She said, ‘No Kenny. The guy was inebriated, and he was trying to be funny by continually tapping me, saying Happy Mother’s Day.’ And she said, ‘Thank you, but don’t touch me,’” Smith explained of Robin Paul’s version of events.
“He continued to do that, and, in-between, he would scream out obscenities about the Suns. ‘F the Suns, F the Suns.’ And continually tap her. That’s when it escalated to that magnitude because I think then Jada, Chris’ wife, tried to go up and tell the security and the bar not to serve him anymore because he was inebriated. So that’s when it kept escalating more, he kept cussing.”
The Mavericks announced Monday that the two fans ejected from the game would be banned from the arena until 2023.
“Two unruly fans attempted to give unwanted hugs and have conversations with members of the Paul family on the public concourse of American Airlines Center,” the Mavericks’ statement said. “The fans involved in the incident will not be allowed to return to the arena until 2023.”
Chris Paul previously called out the league in a Tweet before the Mavs announcement, saying, “Wanna fine players for saying stuff to the fans but the fans can put they hands on our families….f— that!!”
