Talking trash has always been embedded in basketball culture, and the game becomes even more entertaining when everyone joins in, including the fans. Of course, there is a line that should not be crossed, but when done in the spirit of friendly ribbing, it is all part of the fun.
With that in mind, Steve Kerr once related a cool story about a fan talking smack to Kevin Willis. “Devo” played 21 years in the league and was known as a tough-as-nails enforcer during his prime. However, even he could only chuckle at the good old-fashioned roasting he received from the fan.
Advertisement
Willis approves
Kerr shared the hilarious anecdote on an old NBA TV program called “Open Court.” The show, hosted by Ernie Johnson, often featured basketball legends such as Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Grant Hill, and others discussing all things basketball. It particularly gets interesting when the oldheads take fans back in time through stories from the past.
In one of their episodes, the panel of NBA veterans and greats discussed the best trash-talkers of their era. As always, the usual suspects were Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, and Reggie Miller.
Advertisement
Kerr, however, threw a curveball when he suggested that fans often come up with the best roasts. One particular jab was aimed at the veteran Willis, who was his teammate with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2002-03 season.
“I played with Kevin Willis, as you all know, one of the great guys of all time,” Kerr began his story. “He is 42 years old at the time and we were in Chicago. It was a quiet moment, and the fan right behind us goes, ‘Hey, Willis! Are you single? My grandma kinda likes you!’ And the whole bench bursts out laughing.”
“Kevin turns around, points to the guy and smiles,” added the five-time NBA champion.
Advertisement
If Kerr’s memory served him right, it was a “quiet moment” because the Spurs were pummeling the Chicago Bulls. This was several years after the Bulls’ 1998 championship, so they pretty much toyed with the competition.
Even though Willis was no longer a spring chicken, one look at his muscular physique would tell you he was still ready to play if his number was called. He actually registered 22 minutes that night, scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds in a 109-95 San Antonio victory.
When fans cross the line
It’s always special as a player if you can get the fans to react a certain way. That’s why Willis loved that interaction in the Windy City, and everybody got a giggle out of it as a bonus.
Advertisement
However, as Kerr mentioned, there was also some “idiotic stuff” that fans do. In fact, the league cracked down on fan behavior as far back as 2019, as NBA officials believe it has escalated to become “one of the biggest problems in the game.”
“We’ve added any sexist language or LGBTQ language, any denigrating language in that way, anything that is non-basketball related,”said Jerome Pickett, the NBA’s executive vice president and chief security officer. “So ‘your mother’ comments, talking about your family, talking about test scores, anything non-basketball related, we’ve added that in as well as being something that we will go and pull a fan out of the seat and investigate what happened.”
Right around that time, the Boston Celtics banned a fan for shouting racist chants at DeMarcus Cousins. Russell Westbrook also became a subject of the same type of attack in Utah twice, leading the Jazz ownership to prohibit the fans involved from attending a game again in Salt Lake City.
Advertisement
The line between fun and crossing the line can be thin, but Kerr’s story showed how it looks when everyone is in on the humor. The best fan interactions are those that enhance the moment without detracting from the game.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.