'Big Baby' Hits Game-Winning Shot, Shoves a Kid

By now, you've no doubt seen this game-winning shot by the Celtics' Glen "Big Baby" Davis a number of times. But did you notice the kid he inadvertently made contact with on his way back down the floor afterwards?

The child's father certainly saw the contact, and he wasn't at all happy about it. So, he's now trying to grab his 15 minutes of fame by demanding an apology from Davis for "shoving" his 12-year-old son. And it's absolutely pathetic.

Here's the story, via the Magic Basketblog:

Provetti said Davis shoved his 12-year-old son Nicholas with such force after Davis made a game-winning jumper, that Nicholas' baseball cap catapulted into the air and his son dove into his courtside seat.

Provetti sent an e-mail to the NBA League office this morning. He said Davis crossed the line, literally, and embarrassed his son.

"The NBA makes it clear to not cross the sideline," he said in a telephone interview. "If I cross that line, the NBA will take away my tickets. It's a double standard."

In the e-mail, Provetti said Davis conducted himself like a "raging animal with no regard for fans' personal safety."

You're kidding me with this, right?

Forgetting for a moment the racist overtones that come with that "raging animal" remark, this gentleman is completely out of his mind. There was no intent on Davis' part to make contact with the man's son. Davis' momentum after the shot carried him out of bounds, and in his pure excitement after hitting the biggest shot of his career, he accidentally made contact with someone standing in front of their courtside seat. No harm, no foul.

I honestly hope nothing comes of this, and that neither Davis nor the league do anything in response. And if this fan continues to make a big deal out of it, someone on the Celtics should show this guy what courtside contact really feels like: by pulling a Shaq and diving right into his seat for a loose ball.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

5-11-2009 @ 4:49PM

Matt Watson said...

Actually, I disagree. For one, Davis deliberately pushed the kid out of the way with his hand -- it's not like he just ran into him. Second, had Davis pushed aside a member of the Magic bench instead of "just" a fan, there would be no argument at all that Davis was in the wrong and had no business being that close to the sideline. I don't think he singled out the kid on purpose -- he probably was just trying to avoid running over the ref -- but still, it was reckless.

5-11-2009 @ 5:15PM

Brett Pollakoff said...

Here we go again with "reckless." I'm no Celtics defender, but I just don't see it. I guess I'm more offended by the father's comments than anything else. I've had the privilege of sitting courtside a handful of times, and have had a basketball and a player land on me before. It's an inherent risk being that close, and in that situation, I really don't think Davis intentionally tried to make contact. It just happened; no big deal.

5-11-2009 @ 5:58PM

Glenn20 said...

When someone is in your path and you want to avoid a collision, the normal reflex is to put your hand out to safely protect the other person. That is exactly what happened. First, he put his left hand on the REFEREE to avoid that collision and then within a split second the kid was on the other side. You can tell he never got a look at the kid, other than a quick blur. The right hand came out as an instinctive reflex protection for the fan. Otherwise, the kid could have been barreled over like the Stanford tuba player. The ungrateful father should be thanking Davis.

5-11-2009 @ 6:15PM

henryclemente said...

Glenn20,

That excuse begs the question: Why is he barreling down the sideline that close to fans in such a way where he has to shove people to "safety"? This wasn't game play. He wasn't chasing down a loose ball. He chose to come running like that. Saying he was doing it "save" the kid implies that he put the kid in danger in the first place.

5-11-2009 @ 6:36PM

No, Henry. The KID (along with the neglect of his father) put HIMSELF in danger by not sitting in his seat and standing literally one inch from the sideline. The ushers need to keep a better eye on this and throw the kid out the next time he does that. Some player is going to get seriously hurt when they trip over this spoiled brat.

5-11-2009 @ 6:52PM

Are courtside patrons not allowed to stand up? Is it normal for players to run up the sidelines where fans sit after winning a game? Was it impossible for Davis to stop running or change direction?

5-11-2009 @ 7:47PM

Answers to Henry:
1. Sure, they can stand up. But they should stay close to their seat and not come forward to the out-of-bounds line.(although, you might want to ask yourself - why should they have to stand up when there's no one in front of them?) I've been to hundreds of games and I've always seen ushers pushing fans back from the edge of the court. Apparently, they don't do this in Orlando.
2. YES, if you hit a buzzer-beating shot to win a game, it is normal to run up the court in celebration. Davis was running near the edge of the court because that is where he ended up from where he took his shot.
3. The guy is 320 pounds. From the point where he might have seen the kid standing where he shouldn't have been -- I would say that it was absolutely impossible for him to stop or change direction!

5-11-2009 @ 11:55PM

jordygiantpants said...

First off, if he had hit that kid with anything approaching true force at all, that child would have been thoroughly trucked and all that would have been left of him would have been the very same hat the father seems so worried about.
Second, that father's stupidity is probably equal to yours. In what possible way do you perceive "racial overtones"? Isn't there anyone willing to take a statement for what it's worth and not attempt to blow it completely out of proportion? I'm glad you've taken it upon yourself to allay the white man's burden, but cut the crap every so often. Why must people appear perpetually apologetic, while instead coming off as deep as a puddle? Fool.

Inadvertent? He placed his hand on the kid's back then shoved him. If it was a bump I would believe that it was accidental. But in this case, he clearly shoved the kid out of his way for no good reason. Was it impossible to avoid running in celebration so close to sideline?

I don't think that it was malicious, just careless. And the poor kid looked genuinely shocked, if not hurt. If Davis has any conscience he should apologize.

5-11-2009 @ 5:00PM

Tom said...

I'm far more offended by the 17 moving screens he set. How does Big Baby not know how to set a screen by now?

5-11-2009 @ 5:32PM

kingmole said...

i think it doesnt matter if he did it on purpose or not he should still apologize to the kid. It just looks bad

5-11-2009 @ 6:07PM

Matt Watson (Comment #1) said:
"Davis deliberately pushed the kid out of the way with his hand -- it's not like he just ran into him."

Duh - Exactly Matt! Would you have preferred that he "just ran into him"? Can you imagine a 320 pound man running over a 12-year-old? It would have been pretty ugly! He put his hand on the kid to PROTECT THE KID.

5-11-2009 @ 6:30PM

Saying that he did it to "protect" the kid implies that he put him in danger in the first place. He chose to come running up the sideline like that. It wasn't an accident or part of gameplay.

It's like saying good thing I put my arm out to protect my passenger while I decided to drive my car into a ditch.

5-11-2009 @ 6:58PM

Guess what, Henry? When basketball players hit buzzer-beating shots to win games, they run, and jump, and pump fists, and celebrate. It IS part of the game -- maybe not in the strict sense, as in being on the 48 minute clock and showing in the box score -- but it is definitely a normal occurance and thus part of the game. Haven't you been watching any of the "Amazing" advertisements?

Davis didn't put the kid on the out-of-bounds line (and in danger) -- the kid put himself there. All Davis did was to protect the kid instead of barrelling him over.

5-11-2009 @ 7:04PM

Guess what, Glenn? When normal decent human beings accidentally bump or shove children, they apologize.

5-11-2009 @ 7:39PM

Henry wrote: "When normal decent human beings accidentally bump or shove children, they apologize."

I doubt if Davis had any idea of what happened at the time (other than his reflex to protect someone). And he probably would have apologized the next day (after seeing it), except that it would be inadvisable now, because the kid has an idiot father who will probably use any admission against him in a lawsuit.

PS - Check out the story that ESPN is running today about Glen Davis' life and you will probably be impressed with what a "normal decent human being" he really is.

5-11-2009 @ 6:16PM

If you read the whole story, you'll see that the father is pimping his son to get free publicity for his toy store expansion from New Jersey to Florida. What a shameless a-hole this guy must be. He's probably meeting with his attorneys right now to plan a lawsuit against Davis, the Celtics, the Amway Arena, and the NBA.

5-11-2009 @ 6:26PM

Gregory said...

This is one sad father.

bobsellsaz said...

What was that kid doing on the court? Was he part of either team? He absolutely should not have been there, no matter how much his privaleged family spent on his seat.

5-11-2009 @ 6:42PM

The kid wasn't in his seat and was standing literally one inch from the sideline. A player could trip over him and get seriously hurt. The boy's father should apologize to Glen Davis, and the Amway Arena should take his season tickets away if it happens again.

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