Things continue to heat up between fans and players in the NBA.

The NBA has let their players get away with so much over the past couple years that fans have finally had enough.

And now NBA players are worried about what is coming next as Kyrie Irving was nearly assaulted by a fan.

The temperature outside isn’t the only thing heating up as we head into the summer.

NBA fans are fuming at players and it’s actually enjoyable to watch.

For the past year, the NBA and its players have embraced Black Lives Matter with open arms.

They criticized their fan base and all while supporting a group that put violence in the streets of countless neighborhoods across our nation.

So now as fans give players a taste of what they have endorsed on their streets, it’s kind of poetic justice.

Previously, fans have thrown popcorn on players and one player was spat at.

And of course the players played the total victim card.

It’s not like they have been endorsing people throwing bricks and soup cans at cops or anything like that for a year now.

But one more incident occurred and this time with NBA star Kyrie Irving.

At the end of a Nets vs. Celtics game that saw Irving score 39 points, one fan threw a water bottle at Irving while he was exiting the court.

The “unthinkable act of violence” left Irving and other players in shock.

After the incident Irving claimed, “[i]t’s unfortunate that sports has come to this kind of crossroads where you are seeing old ways come up . . . underlying racism and treating people like they are in a human zoo.”

Who would have guessed the racism card?

Always a good go to for players that have been pushing Black Lives Matter.

But the reality is, athletes have had things thrown at them for years in towns with passionate sports fans and race has nothing to do with it.

Philadelphia, a town that literally booed Santa Claus, has a long history of fans throwing objects – going back more than 50 years.

Former Eagles wide receiver Vince Papele said once, “I can tell you that as a ballplayer, I’ve had things thrown at me. I’ve had beers dumped on me. I’ve had pretzels and hot dogs thrown at me on the bench. You know, it’s universal. […] But they’re not ignorant. They’re passionate. Yes, they’re frustrated, but you get those few and now everybody pays the price for it.”

*Sports with Balls Official Polling*