Knicks Player Confronts Fan Bothering His Wife
Jan. 19, 2006 — -- Antonio Davis admitted he knew it was wrong, but he felt he had no choice. When the New York Knicks forward saw what he thought was a man threatening his wife in the stands of Chicago's United Center, he jumped to her defense -- even though the game was on the line.
For his actions, the NBA suspended Davis for five games, starting with tonight's home game against Detroit.
The incident happened when a Chicago Bulls and Knicks game went into overtime. Davis hurdled the scorers' table and raced into the stands, where his wife, Kendra, was seated.
"All of a sudden just out of nowhere, this big blue streak jumps up onto the table and goes flying by me, and I looked up, and it was Antonio Davis jumping up on the table and jumping by," said Steve Scott, the Bulls' public address announcer. "And it scared the heck out of me."
After Davis and others exchanged words, the 6-foot-9-inch forward was led away. A few moments later, security escorted a man out of the United Center.
"I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that I learned later to be intoxicated," Davis said in a written statement released after the game. "I saw him touch her, and I know I should not have acted the way I did, but I would have felt terrible if I didn't react."
Knicks forward Maurice Taylor added, "He said she was trying to push him to keep him from getting up at her."
But the fan in question, identified as 22-year-old Michael Axelrod, said he did not have a drink at the game. He claims it was Kendra Davis who, in fact, tried to scratch his face after he criticized a referee's call.
Axelrod is now planning to sue the Davises for battery and defamation, and he's considering lawsuits against the NBA and the United Center.
There was no physical confrontation during the incident, unlike last season's now-infamous basket-brawl in Detroit between members of the Indiana Pacers and several Pistons fans. That incident led to suspensions and criminal charges against some of the players and spectators involved.
The November 2004 brawl was sparked by an on-court confrontation between players and escalated when fans started pelting Indiana players with drink cups and other debris.
Larry Brown, who coached the Pistons in that November game and now coaches Davis and the Knicks, said this incident was something else completely.
"That's his wife," Brown said. "That was, that's entirely different. That's a man concerned about his family. We needed him out there, but I don't blame him. I don't think anybody blames him."
Knicks guard Jamal Crawford said he was concerned when he saw it happening.
"We didn't know how it happened or how it started," Crawford said. "Antonio is our family, and his family is our family, so when you see that, you're concerned."
Chicago Police said no criminal charges have been filed in connection with the incident. Davis, who is president of the NBA Players' Association, was ejected from the game.
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