Nate Robinson avoids injury after gunfire erupts at a Rucker Park game he attended
Nate Robinson has skirted controversy in his NBA career before, but it's been NBA-level controversy — taking part in a silly brawl against the Denver Nuggets in the 2005-06 season, annoying viewers with his endless attempts during Slam Dunk contest wins, and feuding with Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni during the 2009-10 campaign. Nothing of any real life significance. Luckily, that streak is continuing for Nate, even after he was at the scene of a scary scene at Rucker Park on Wednesday night.
Robinson was at a tournament as a fan when a fight that led to gunfire broke out. Happily for all, no life-threatening injuries resulted, and Robinson left the contest unscathed. From the New York Daily News:
Gunfire erupted around 10 p.m. at the Holcombe Rucker Park court on Frederick Douglass Boulevard near W. 155th St. after a dispute during a game for the Entertainers Basketball Classic, witnesses said.
"They started arguing, about a bad call or something like that," said Rodney Harris, 47. "The guy was standing no more than five feet away from me. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot once. He then shot one more time. Everyone started running."
Ugh. Five people were shot in the commotion. Robinson not among them.
Rucker Park isn't — and shouldn't have to be — the sort of place where you can plop a metal detector down at the park's gates, but you have to wonder if organizers might be more strident in attempting to tell participants and fans alike to keep the nonsense that is loaded firearms back home. Not that this matters over a relatively anonymous name, but especially when celebrities (NBA names, or otherwise) often dot the stands of these games.
Our thoughts are with those that now have to recover from a gunshot wound merely because they decided to take in a basketball game on a random Wednesday evening in the summertime.
