More drama for the San Antonio Spurs this week, as a photo of two Spurs posed with guns surfaced on the web Monday.
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are shown posed with fake guns, pointed at the head of someone in a referee’s jersey. Specifically, the referee is Joey Crawford, the longtime ref who has drawn the ire of nearly every player in the league. He has a longstanding feud with Duncan, and once ejected the Spurs’ star from a game while Duncan was sitting on the bench.
The Spurs posed with guns, seemingly for a Halloween photo, but it’s taken until now for the photo to surface. It comes just days after the NBA fined the Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich $250k after Popovich sent Duncan, Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green home before the last game of a long trip – and directly before a nationally televised tussle with the reigning champion Miami Heat.
It’s hard to blame Duncan for wanting to exact a little revenge against his nemesis Crawford, but he definitely went about it the wrong way. And for the Spurs to pose with guns, of all teams, doesn’t exactly make sense. Duncan is one of the most unassuming players in the NBA, and Parker makes more headlines for his love life than his police blotter. Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson, but it remains to be seen how NBA commissioner David Stern will respond.