Ex-NBA big man defends himself for getting physical with fan during game in Australia

Former NBA big man Montrezl Harrell was involved in some drama in the fourth quarter of a National Basketball League (NBL) bout between the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United in Australia.

Harrell became physical with a fan after he witnessed the spectator push one of his teammates.

Harrell has since defended himself on X.

The drama started when Harrell, frustrated over an offensive foul call, got tangled up with an opposing player. It led to a physical altercation involving several players.

Fans ultimately started to exchange words with players, leading to more chaos. Multiple fans were reportedly removed from the arena following verbal and physical exchanges. The fan that Harrell got involved with was ejected.

Harrell has been a dominant force for the 36ers across 11 games played for the team so far this season. He is averaging 20-plus points and nine-plus rebounds per contest while also converting 56.0 percent of his shots from the floor.

Against Melbourne, he dropped 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, but Adelaide still lost the contest by 20 points to fall to 6-5 on the season.

The 30-year-old last played in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022-23 campaign, when he averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game during the regular season in a reserve role with the team.

Some of his best years in the league came when he played for the Los Angeles Clippers, a tenure that spanned from the 2017-18 season through the 2019-20 campaign. He averaged 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest for his Clippers career and finished in the top three in the Sixth Man of the Year voting in two of his three seasons with them.

Harrell captured the Sixth Man of the Year award after he averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game with the Clippers in the 2019-20 season.

Harrell could face ramifications following the drama that took place in his recent NBL game, so that will something worth keeping an eye on.