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Celtics fan arrested after Kyrie Irving nearly hit with water bottle

By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Celtics fan arrested after water bottle nearly hits Kyrie Irving A fan is handcuffed and escorted out of TD Garden by police after allegedly throwing a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving as Irving left the court after Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Boston. The Nets won 141-126. (Elise Amendola/AP Photo)

By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

BOSTON — Police arrested a Boston Celtics fan on suspicion of throwing a water bottle that nearly hit Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving in the head following the Nets win over the Celtics on Sunday, WFXT reported.

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Police arrested Cole Buckley, 21, of Braintree, moments after the bottle was thrown, according to WFXT. He faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the news station reported.

Irving, who played for the Celtics for two years, previously expressed concerns about how fans of the team might treat him and asked that people refrain from being belligerent or racist, WFXT reported.

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“We claim that we care about each other as human beings, but we just call things out before they happen like I did the other day,” Irving said after Sunday’s game, according to The New York Times. “I’m telling people, ‘Just keep it basketball.’”

He added that sports “has come to a lot of this kind of crossroads, where you’re seeing a lot of old ways come up,” CNN reported.

“It’s been that way in history, in terms of entertainment, performers and sports for a long period of time and just underlying racism and just treating people like they’re in a human zoo,” Irving said, according to the Times. “Throwing stuff at them, saying things. There’s a certain point where it just gets to be too much.”

The incident is the latest case of bad fan behavior reported as NBA arenas begin to open to near-full capacity following restrictions prompted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Last week, a fan in Philadelphia threw popcorn on Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook, a New York Knicks fan spat on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and family members of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said they were heckled while attending a game in Utah, according to WFXT.

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