An Illawarra Hawks fan who poured beer on Sydney Kings import Marcus Thornton has been stamped with a season ban by the NBL.
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The incident occurred midway through the third quarter of Illawarra’s 96-90 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night at WIN Entertainment Centre.
The patron was sitting in Figtree Private Hospital corporate section at the end of the court.
Figtree Private Hospital issued an apology to the Kings and Thornton on Thursday.
The NBL released a statement condemning the incident.
“It is a shame that a brilliant game was tarnished by the actions of one individual, however the players and officials showed their professionalism by moving on quickly,” NBL General Manager Jeremy Loeliger said.
“We do not condone behaviour of this type, and will continue to implement measures to ensure that this kind of interference is dealt with appropriately."
The fan was immediately escorted out of the venue after the incident. Figtree Private Hospital’s released a statement apologizing on Thursday.
“Figtree Private Hospital has apologised to the Sydney Kings and the Illawarra Hawks for the actions of an elderly gentleman who was a guest in the Hospital’s box last evening,” the statement said.
“The 83 year old father of a long term, valued employee, has some cognitive impairment and does not recall the incident. His family are very regretful of the incident and have indicated they will be making a formal apology on his behalf.”