"Mad disrespectful" - NBA fans react to David Robinson's unpleasant encounter with man who threw his jersey at his feet

David Robinson, also known as the 'Admiral,' is a former MVP who also served time with the US Navy. He is one of the most respected players of his era, particularly within the San Antonio Spurs fandom.

However, sometimes fans fail to behave with compassion, even with the greats of the game. One such instance of pitiful behavior by a fan has stirred up the NBA community on X.

On what appears to be a public promotional appearance by David Robinson, a fan approached the Hall of Famer for an autograph on his jersey. The video shows Robinson politely declining the request, saying, "Not right now."

It then pans to the fan immediately throwing the jersey down at the former Spurs center's feet in an act of public disrespect against a respected member of the NBA community.

Fans did not take kindly to the act of disrespect and have furiously reacted to the footage that was published online on Tuesday.

"That’s mad disrespectful, people should learn some manners," posted a fan.

"Messed up. David just said 'not right now,' humbly," pointed out a fan.

"He's probably top ten most likable, decent, principled, pro athletes of all time," observed a fan.

Other fans also reacted in a similar vein to the behavior displayed by the individual who threw the jersey down upon being denied an autograph.

David Robinson's action of choosing not to sign the jersey likely stems from the fact that fans tend to sell such memorabilia for inflated prices online.

Regardless of the reasons, the polite denial by the Spurs legend did not necessitate such a response. The NBA fandom is almost unanimous in calling out the disrespectful fan for his act of bad taste.

Despite the attention the incident has received, it might still only be the second most famous incident involving David Robinson and his refusal to sign a jersey from a fan. Shaquille O'Neal's personal incident, albeit fake, still stakes the claim for the top spot in that list of stories.

David Robinson's alleged refusal to sign a young Shaquille O'Neal's jersey prompted beef in the NBA

David Robinson versus Shaquille O'Neal was a battle of great centers that enthralled the NBA in the mid-90s. Adding to the narrative was O'Neal's story of being denied an autograph by the Spurs superstar when he was a 13-year-old.

Post-retirement, however, Shaq cleared the air and apologized to Robinson for fabricating such a story to motivate himself and to create some animosity between the two in the public eye.

"David, I want to say I apologize for making up that rumor. David took all my shine when he came to San Antonio, so I hated him for that. And then first couple of years he used to kill me. So I had to make up my rumor to get mad," said Shaquille O'Neal, apologizing directly to David Robinson on a Zoom call titled '90's reunion' in 2020.

Robinson's refusal to sign a jersey, or alleged refusal, has demonstrated two separate outcomes on how it could affect a fan. While Shaq's fake narrative fuelled a rivalry and entertaining duels, the act of the fan shall be used as an example of fan behavior that shall be disliked in NBA circles.