The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies squared off in Memphis on Monday in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But the game was everything but peaceful.
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Naz Reid Threatens Courtside Heckler
One fan captured a video showing Timberwolves big man Naz Reid having a heated back-and-forth with a fan sitting courtside. During Memphis' comeback, one Grizzlies fan can be heard repeatedly asking Reid if he was mad. The final straw was when the heckler told Reid "We don't care that you mad," to which Reid to him "I'll smack the s—t out of you."
The fan continued to antagonize Reid once he was headed to the bench after being subbed out of the game.
Check the video below:
Naz Reid to a heckler courtside in Memphis:
“I’ll smack the s*** outta you.”
(via @suxidesquad)pic.twitter.com/fLYXmBGeJ0
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 21, 2025
Kyrie: Gambling Is 'Tainting the Game'
There seems to have been an uptick in altercations between players and fans over the years. Some people believe the increase in popularity of online sports gambling could be a big reason why.
It would be one thing if sports gambling was just a harmless addition to the game. But the fact that fans are investing their own money into gambling has made them venomous towards players. A missed free throw or a turnover can cost an individual hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of dollars. Some fans even go as far as to threaten athletes over social media. Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving believes it is "tainting," the game.
"I'm just gonna call it out. Everybody is talking about their f—ing ticket. I'm not gonna say I don't care about your ticket, but if you want to gamble, why don't you gamble on something that makes sense, to you? And if you gamble on me, I'm not going to tell you whether it's a good gamble or bagging, I'm just saying you're gambling. You're gonna win or lose," Irving said.
"But that doesn't mean sliding into people's DMs, wishing bad on them, or doing the extra s— that goes on. It blows my mind sometimes. ... Because as a hooper, I'm just trying to get a bucket. I'm trying to win ballgames most importantly, and I'm gonna be successful some nights and I'm gonna fail but overall, the reason why I said peace of mind is everything. Just look at these distractions that ultimately take away from the game. I'm just saying it's tainting the game."
