"You should know you playing like trash" –  Kings super fan kicked out for criticizing Zach LaVine's defense finally speaks out

There is only so much a fan can handle, and for a Sacramento Kings superfan, showing no hustle was the last straw.

During the Kings' NBA Cup game against the Phoenix Suns, fashion and footwear designer Devlin Carter, a Kings season ticket holder, failed to contain his frustration and anger with the team, particularly with Zach LaVine.

In a viral video, an animated Carter was seen yelling at LaVine, apparently telling him to play some defense. The former dunk champion responded, allegedly saying, "Go home, n—a!" He and his wife had to be escorted out of the arena.

After sharing his thoughts about the verbal altercation via Instagram stories, Carter finally explained his side of the story in a four-minute rant he posted on the platform.

"I cheer until my voice's hoarse for this team. So to have a player…get a f—ing attitude and tell a fan to go home, n—a," Carter said. "No, you go home and find your f—ing game. How about that? Go home and find the game that you left there because you're not bringing it to the arena."

Carter is telling what the Kings need to hear

With less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Sacramento was down 102-86 against the Suns. By that point, the Kings had already allowed 12 triples, including four in the first five minutes of the final period, three of which were unguarded.

This forced head coach Doug Christie to call a full timeout. Sitting behind the bench, Carter started jawing at LaVine, whom he believed was slacking off on the defensive end.

The 6'5" guard finished with 13 points on 35.7 percent shooting, two rebounds, two assists and a game-high six turnovers in over 31 minutes of playing time. For the superfan, this kind of performance was simply unacceptable.

"I start letting him have it. I was like, No, I pay to be here. You go home. You get paid over 40 million dollars," he said as the Kings lost 112-100. "You didn't show up. Once again, you didn't show up."

To Carter's point, the Kings' defense has been abysmal. Now holding a 5-13 record (13th in the West), the team has a defensive rating of 119.7, which is 24th in the league. Additionally, their offense ranks third-worst in the league, with a rating of 109. After the game, LaVine defended the team's effort.

"You guys can say all you want to about effort," LaVine said. "We play as hard as we can…Guys are frustrated we're not winning, guys are frustrated they're not playing right, or playing in the way that would best suit them. ... We're all trying our heart out though."

Sacramento fans deserve better

Carter owns the SIA Collective, a sneaker company he established in 2019, and has caught the attention of big NBA players, like Kyrie Irving.

Despite hailing from Brooklyn, he has long been a season ticket holder for Sacramento and travels hours just to watch their games. Fans are claiming that he paid around $200,000 for full-season tickets.

But regardless of the ticket's price, Carter's sentiment still stands: the Kings need to play better.

"All the fans want is effort. I'm just a fan that want to see y'all actually try," he said. "We don't want y'all to be mad at us for telling y'all y'all not playing defense... You want to be held accountable…You should know you playing like trash."

Carter said he apologized for "embarrassing" his wife, hassling the security guy who escorted him out of the venue – but not for his outburst. And he should not because the Kings are not playing well.

Although trade talks have been looming over the team, they need to focus on the season and play the cards they have been dealt.

Related: Larry Nance Jr. explains why Tim Duncan belongs on his Mount Rushmore of NBA GOATs: "Inspired the whole generation of power forwards and centers"

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.