Video After The Jump
Four courtside fans -- at least one of whom was not covering her face with a mask -- were ejected from Monday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks following a verbal spat with Lakers star LeBron James, the Hawks confirmed to ESPN.
Juliana Carlos, who later posted on social media, and her husband, Chris Carlos, exchanged words with James in the fourth quarter of the visiting Lakers' 107-99 win, prompting the ejection.
Juliana Carlos posted a video on her Instagram account showing the scene shortly after State Farm Arena security personnel and one of the referees, Mitchell Ervin, intervened.
She can be heard saying, "Shut the f--- up. Don't talk to my husband like that," while standing on the sideline with her mask pulled down below her chin. Someone off camera can be heard asking her to put her mask on, which is required of all fans attending NBA games this season. She wrote "f---ing loser" in a text box to accompany the video, with her camera pointed at James.
After the ejection, Carlos posted a selfie-style video, offering her account of what happened.
"So, I'm minding my own business, and Chris has been a Hawks fan forever. He's been watching the games for 10 years. Whatever, he has this issue with LeBron. I don't have an issue with LeBron. I don't give a f--- about LeBron," she says in the video. "Anyway, I'm minding my own business, drinking my [beverage], having fun. All of the sudden, LeBron says something to my husband, and I see this and I stand up. And I go, 'Don't f---ing talk to my husband.' And he looks at me and he goes, 'Sit the f--- down, b----.' And I go, 'Don't f---ing call me a b----. You sit the f--- down. Get the f--- out of here. Don't f---ing talk to my husband like that.'"
James was not asked postgame about Carlos' name-calling allegation, but he was not fazed by the incident and said he felt like an ejection was unnecessary.
"At the end of the day, I'm happy fans are back in the building," he said after putting up 21 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds to help L.A. to the road win. "I miss that interaction. I need that interaction; we as players need that interaction. I don't feel like it was warranted to be kicked out."
Source: ESPN
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