Washington Wizards’ Isaiah Thomas talks with fans in the stands during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, in Philadelphia. Thomas was ejected from the game after leaving the court.

Matt Slocum) / AP Photo

It’s tough to be an outsider in Philly. I mean, just ask the invasive spotted lanternflies, which—unlike in other cities—have been the target of countless rage-filled killings by Philadelphians for just being there. The city is well-known for its “gritty“-ness and brutal, confrontational sports fans.

When Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas came to the Wells Fargo Center to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, he was ready for Sixers devotees (“You know how Philly fans are,” he said after the game), but believed that one of them crossed the line.

After Thomas missed one free throw followed by sinking a second in the fourth quarter, he noticed a fan flipping him the bird—two birds, actually—and cursing at him, the Washington Post reported. After the game, Thomas told reporters that the fan yelled “f— you, b—!” three times. “So then the timeout goes, and I go in the stands to confront him,” Thomas said.

After the game, the two-time NBA All-Star told reporters that he addressed the Philly fan and his companion calmly: “I say, ‘Don’t be disrespectful. I’m a man before anything, and be a fan,'” he said. The fan’s response, according to Thomas, was, “‘I’m sorry. I just wanted a Frosty.'”

As in, a Wendy’s Frosty. According to part of the “Frosty® Freeze-Out presented by Wendy’s®,” if an opposing player misses consecutive free throws in the second half of a Sixers home game, fans get a free small Frosty. If it happens again, fans get a free small Frosty and a small fry.

For going into the crowd, Thomas was ejected from the game and earned himself a two-game suspension without pay. The NBA automatically suspends any player who “deliberately enters the spectator stands during a game,” per a release. The fans involved in the spat have been banned from the Wells Fargo Center for a year and had their season tickets revoked.

Thomas, for one, isn’t happy with the league’s decision, writing “Bullshit!” on Twitter on Sunday, after the NBA’s announcement. He followed the tweet on Monday with: “Love will always come out on top! Make sure your energy is right today…”

Asked whether the league should do anything to stymie these types of heated fan-player interactions (there have been some notable instances this season), Thomas replied, “It should just be a respect factor. I’m not going to go to anybody else’s job and call you out of your name … I don’t even know how I can make you that mad when we’re down 15 [points], and we lost the game.”

Including Thomas’ absence, the 8-20 Wizards are missing much of their starting five going into Monday night’s game against the 7-23 New York Knicks.

Reached by email, the Wizards organization declined to comment on the situation.

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