The NBA has stumbled upon its own ‘Karen’ controversy after a Portland Trail Blazers fan filmed himself calling security on a Golden State Warriors player for cursing at him in front of his son.
In a video which has sparked fury online, a Trail Blazers supporter named ‘Dino Stevens’ on TikTok is seen confronting Warriors shooting guard Buddy Hield as he headed down the tunnel at Portland’s Moda Center.
He shouted to Hield: ‘Hey is that cool to say that in front of my son?’
‘I don’t care, shut the f*** up,’ the Golden State star responded before appearing to repeat that message while Stevens told him he was ‘on camera.’
The aggrieved spectator then explained what went down with Hield on the night, saying alongside his 13-year-old son, who is a Warriors fan, in a video captured from their car: ‘Buddy Hield passed by our chair and we said, “Hey Buddy Hield, say hi to my son!” And this is what happens.’
Stevens then suggested to users in the comments section that he had taunted Hield about the Warriors losing to his beloved Trail Blazers before he initially cursed at him.
WARNING – Strong language
An NBA fan has been labeled a ‘Karen’ after capturing his spat with Warriors star Buddy Hield
TikTok user ‘Dino Stevens’ (pictured) said Hield cursed at him in front of his 13-year-old son
And in a follow-up clip posted on TikTok, he can also be seen calling over a member of security to complain about the NBA player’s foul-mouthed rant.
‘I can’t go up there and kick Buddy Hield out,’ the security guard is heard saying.
‘I’m not saying to kick him out but he could apologize to me and my kid,’ Stevens replied.
However, the majority of fans quickly leapt to Hield’s defense, instead taking aim at Stevens for antagonizing him and then ‘playing the victim’ – while also pointing out that his son is not that young.
‘This might be the softest thing I’ve ever seen our world is cooked,’ one user said.
Another posted: ‘shout out to Buddy Hield…..man I hate fans like this. Athletes don’t have to respond to fans, and then you try to be a smart a** only to turn into a Karen when you got a smart a** response back.
A third told Stevens: ‘you act like your kid is like 5 years old smh. you were antagonizing him. you’re weird. Just like you had freedom of speech to say what you said. leave the man alone he was doing his job, he didn’t have to acknowledge you or your son. stop being a cry baby.running to security? lol’.
‘So the story is…. You antagonized someone at their job and in return they cursed at you. And then when you confronted them about cursing at you they curse that you again,’ wrote a fourth.
Stevens is seen calling over a security guard and questioning why Hield didn’t apologize to him
A fifth put: ‘Man that’s a grown a** kid I thought it was gonna be a lil kid’
While one quipped: ‘“How can I be the victim today”’.
After being dubbed the latest ‘Karen’ sports fan – in the wake of similar controversies at MLB and NFL games – Stevens argued his case in the follow-up video on TikTok.
‘It doesn’t matter if my son’s a toddler or a young man, it doesn’t give a right to an NBA player to disrespect me in front of my son. Just because he’s an NBA player, it doesn’t give him the right to say those things.
‘I don’t know why I’m the Karen. It’s not like I’m looking for publicity or anything, I’m just showing you guys how big of a clown Buddy Hield is.’
