NBA Shouldn’t Overreact to Isaiah Thomas’ Confrontation with Sixers Fan

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- There's never a dull moment at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. Whether it's on-court drama or off-court drama, there's always something interesting occurring during Philadelphia 76ers games.

This season, there has been a notable amount of drama involving Sixers fans off the court. It all started with an ejection back in the preseason as fans showed up in protest of the issues going on outside of the country.

Then, a few weeks back, Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell exchanged words with a courtside fan, which forced the security in the arena to escort the fan out. On Saturday, something similar happened, but this time it wasn't just a fan who was escorted out. It was also Washington Wizards point guard, Isaiah Thomas.

There was an awkward moment late in the game. The clock was stopped and the referees were reviewing an incident, which many were not made aware of. Moments later, Sixers announcer Matt Cord reported over the loudspeaker that the Wizards point guard was officially being ejected from the game after his controversial interaction with a fan.

Without any details, it seemed as if Thomas was totally in the wrong considering he was being tossed out of the game. However, he managed to calmly explain himself following the game, donning an Allen Iverson Sixers jersey.

"I'm never going to be disrespected in any way," Thomas explained after the matchup. "My dad taught me at a younger age, don't let anybody call you out of your name. It doesn't matter where I am, that's not going to happen."

Thomas went on to further detail the incident, alleging that the fan he eventually confronted was using obscene and disrespectful hand gestures and language in an attempt to throw the point guard off during his free throws.

While Thomas' ejection made it feel like he might've jumped out of character, a quick clip of the incident taped by another fan in attendance proved the Wizards' point guard was calm, cool, and collected while approaching the fan. Unfortunately, due to NBA rules, Thomas was not allowed to remain in the game as entering the stands is a complete no-no in the NBA.

However, Thomas has hope that the NBA truly understands that what he did is not fine or suspension worthy. While the NBA will have to closely investigate all of the details involving the altercation, the evidence out there proves that Isaiah Thomas' explanation following the game adds up. He was wrong for entering the stands, but a simple ejection seems like enough at this point. There shouldn't be any further overreaction.