The 21-year-old Celtics fan who threw a water bottle at Nets guard Kyrie Irving following the conclusion of Game 4 in Boston on Sunday night faces an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge and will be arraigned on Tuesday, according to the Boston Police Department.
The fan, Cole Buckley of Braintree, Mass., was identified and arrested by TD Garden security following the incident. He is also subject to a lifetime ban from the venue, according to an arena spokesperson.
“A guest was arrested by Boston Police at the end of tonight’s Boston Celtics game for throwing an object. We will support and provide assistance to Boston Police as this incident is under review. We have zero tolerance for violations of our guest code of conduct, and the guest is subject to a lifetime ban from TD Garden,” Tricia McCorkle, a TD Garden spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday.
After the game, Nets forward Kevin Durant sounded off on the incident, urging fans to, “Grow the f— up, and enjoy the game. It’s bigger than you.”
“It’s unfortunate that sports has come to this kind of crossroads,” Irving said. “Just underlying racism and just treating people like they’re in a human zoo. Throwing things at them. At a certain point it just becomes too much.”
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, a second fan in Boston was also arrested Sunday night due to assault and battery of a police offer.
The incident involving Irving came just days removed from high-profile fan incidents in New York and Philadelphia. The Knicks banned the fan who spat on Hawks star Trae Young in the fourth quarter of last Wednesday’s Game 2. A fan in Philadelphia dumped popcorn on Wizards star Russell Westbrook as he left the court after injuring his right ankle in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Game 2.
Durant and Irving combined for 81 points on 25-for-44 shooting and 9-for-15 on three-point attempts on Sunday in the Nets’ 141-126 win.
Brooklyn leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 set for Tuesday.
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