During his NBA career, Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Luka Dončić has been known to have a testy relationship with NBA referees.
That was not the case Wednesday night during the team’s game against the Sacramento Kings, though, as Dončić took issue with a fan who forcefully threw the basketball at first-year official Chelisa Painter near the Lakers bench.
The basketball had gone out of bounds and landed in the fan’s hands before he appeared to quickly toss it at the referee.
While Painter initially appeared like she was going to ignore how fast the fan had thrown the ball in her direction, Dončić began to confront the fan seated in the front row.
Video of the interaction between the fan, Dončić, and the referee can be seen below.
“He just tossed it really strong — the ball — toward the ref,” Dončić told reporters about the incident after the game. “I just asked him what the hell he’s doing.”
Security personnel escorted the fan from his seat following the interaction with Dončić and the referee, while the Lakers forward eventually led his team to a 116-103 victory.
Dončić scored 40 points with 7 assists and 9 rebounds in the win. It was his fifth time scoring at least 40 points in just eight games played this season, and he is currently averaging 38.5 points per game to lead all players.
Dončić’s 308 total points and scoring average in eight games are the most since Michael Jordan scored 303 points during the 1988-89 season, and only Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain (418) has posted more points in the first eight games of a NBA season.
Painter, a 34-year-old former college basketball and overseas professional player, is in her first season as a NBA staff official.
“Painter has officiated five years in the NBA G League, including playoff assignments in three seasons,” according to her biography on the NBA website. “She spent seven years as an NCAA Division I official, working in the Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10, Big South, Coastal Athletic Association, Ivy League, Metro, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Southern, Sun Belt, Southwestern Athletic and United Athletic conferences.”
