Cleveland Cavaliers Fan Banned From Quicken Loans Arena After Heckling Spurs' Patty Mills With Racial Slurs
The Cleveland Cavaliers recently banned one of its fans who yelled racially-charged taunts against San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills.
The Cavs lost a home game against the Spurs last Sunday, 94-110, but apart from their play, the organization needed to address another incident that occured that night -- a fan had hurled racial taunts at Mills who was taking free throws at the time.
According to several updates, the Quicken Loans Arena security personnel were able to identify the individual - whose name was not publicly released. The person has since been banned from attending NBA games in the venue for an indefinite period. Officials will only review whether to lift the sanction or not after a year.
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Shortly after the Feb. 25 game, Twitter user "thats_Z_Truth" shared a video where the fan was heard yelling at Mills while he was taking free throws in the fourth quarter. The unidentified NBA spectator can be heard saying: "Hey, Jamaican dog, they want their bobsledder back! Jamaica just called, they want their bobsledder back."
@KingJames am I the only one who heard this guy in the crowd yell "hey Jamaican dog they want their bobsledder back! Hey @Patty_Mills Jamaica just called, they want their bobsledder back!"
Mills responded to the Twitter video by thanking the video uploader and added: "I am a proud Islander. Like my Jamaican Brothers, me & my family in the islands of the Torres Strait have experienced racial slurs for decades. Hope your efforts will enlighten this confused, hateful fan."
It is also important to note that Mills was born in Australia. His father, Benny Mills, is from the Torres Strait Islands while his mother, Yvonne, is an Aboriginal Australian. Aside from being a skilled professional basketball player, Mills is known for his efforts in upholding his Indigenous roots and promoting their culture.
Sports fans may recall that practically the same scenario occurred in the National Hockey League just about a week ago.
Four fans were banned from watching Chicago Blackhawks games after taunting Devante Smith-Pelly with racial slurs. The individuals repeatedly shouted "basketball" at Smith-Pelly during the game, implying that he should not be playing hockey because he was black.
