The humorous image above is from the Wednesday night NBA game played in Philadelphia between the 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thunder star Russell Westbrook had just made a fast-break layup. Here’s the video:
It’s hard to see in that clip, but this was Westbrook’s reaction:
Screenshot/ESPN
It gets better. The fan in question is named Richard Harkaway. He has come forward to “apologize,” and … just read his statement for yourself:
As a part-time comedian I realize that my words and actions are sometimes inappropriate. In this instance, after standing up to boo and being provoked by Russell Westbrook calling attention to my being overweight, my action in response was clearly inexcusable and I am embarrassed. I sincerely apologize to my fellow Sixers fans, the Sixers organization, my colleagues and patients, and to Mr. Westbrook for my behavior.
1. “Part-time comedian”!!! Aren’t we all. There’s a page for him on OpenComedy.com.
2. The reference to “patients” is in there because Richard Harkaway turns out to also be a local urologist. A video on his OpenComedy page says that Harkaway did stand-up to help pay for medical school.
3. The first joke Harkaway tells on the OpenComedy video is this: “Unlike other fat people, I never lie about my weight. I lie about my height. See, I’m just under 300 pounds—but that’s normal, because I’m nine-foot-one.” That’s solid!
I would also like to hear more about how Westbrook “call[ed] attention” to Harkaway “being overweight” in the approximately three seconds that elapsed between Westbrook making the layup and Harkaway giving him the double bird on national television.
