Racial Taunts Yelled At Spurs Guard While Playing In Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH — San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills was subjected to racial taunts during Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Late in the fourth quarter of the game, a fan yelled out, "Hey Jamaican dog, they want their bobsledder back. Hey Mills, Jamaica just called, they want their bobsledder back!"

Mills, a 29-year-old from Australia, responded to a Tweet with a video clip of the incident, saying, "I am a proud Islander. Like my Jamaican Brothers, me & my family in the islands of the Torres Strait have experienced racial slurs for decades. Hope your efforts will enlighten this confused, hateful fan."

February is Black History Month and the Cavaliers played a video package prior to the game discussing black NASA scientists and leaders that blazed pioneering paths at the agency. Players also wore T-shirts prior to the game celebrating the month.

Mills response to the incident drew praise on social media, with many saying they had his "back." Some quipped that the racial taunts were unsurprising given that they came from an Ohioan.

Luckily, several Clevelanders took to Twitter to respond, apologizing to Mills for the incident, with some even suggesting the fan responsible should be banned from future games.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)