A Fever fan was given the boot from TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday night after an incident involving Sun guard Saniya Rivers.
During the second quarter, a male spectator was removed from his courtside seat after making an inappropriate remark to Rivers while she was preparing to inbound the ball following a timeout.
Rivers came off the sideline and alerted the referees of the situation before the officials started motioning to arena security to remove the fan.
Security personnel then approached the fan, who was wearing a No. 22 Caitlin Clark jersey, and informed him that he was being ejected. A second security officer then arrived to assist in escorting him up the stairs and out of the venue.
Fans around him booed and waved goodbye at him as he walked up the steps of the arena.
Earlier reports had indicated that the fan might have actually made physical contact with Rivers. However, both the Sun and Rivers assured reporters that no such thing occurred.
The fan had made a comment that warranted the ejection, Rivers had told reporters, according to the Hartford Courant.
Rivers was in good spirits after the game, the outlet reported, and even joked that the fan had wasted money on a good seat only to get kicked out.
The fan’s actions would violate the WNBA’s Fan Code of Conduct, which states that attendees “enjoy the basketball experience free from disruptive behavior, including foul or abusive language and obscene gestures.”
It also states that “guests who engage in fighting, throwing objects or attempting to enter the court will be immediately ejected from the arena.”
The ESPN broadcast of the Fever-Sun game also made mention of the delay as the fan was escorted out of the building.
“Another delay,” play-by-play broadcaster Pam Ward said on the air. “A fan is being escorted out of the building. A fan that was close to the Sun bench. So that was the reason for that delay.”
The Sun have not addressed what specifically happened between the fan and Rivers.
The Fever came away with the win, 85-77, though Clark exited the game after appearing to re-aggravate a groin injury.
