Don Knobler, the Dallas Mavericks superfan who was banned from American Airlines Center for the remainder of last season due to a confrontation with Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley last December, was spotted at the arena on Tuesday night.
As shared via Twitter by Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Knobler made an appearance at Tuesday’s game, which coincidentally was a showdown with Beverley’s Clippers squad.
Knobler’s ban stemmed from an incident involving Beverley during a Dec. 3 game last year. Beverley was ultimately ejected and fined $25,000 for bouncing a basketball at Knobler, who was seated on the baseline.
After the game, Beverley accused Knobler of not only using profanity but also saying “F— your mother!” on two separate occasions.
“I just, I can accept the ‘F— you, Beverley,’ the ‘F— you, Pat,’ but out of the lines of my mother, anybody who knows me, man, knows I’m a family-first guy, and there’s some things that are unacceptable,” Beverley said at the time. “After I told the refs, I told security, the Dallas security, told both of them and again, he said it again. So if no one is going to control fans, what are we supposed to do as players?”
Known for his outrageous attire and antics, Knobler has long been a noticeable presence at Mavericks games. His conduct during his confrontation with Beverley clearly took things too far.
An investigation into the incident by the Mavericks corroborated Beverley’s version of events and it was determined it merited a lengthy ban. Fans routinely seated nearby Knobler also told the team that he has been known to heckle opposing players in such a manner on other occasions.
Knobler, however, was back in the building for the Clippers’ 114-99 beatdown of the Mavs, presumably with the understanding that he has to reign it in a bit when it comes to interactions with opposing players.
