“Don’t You Ever Spit On Me!”: Chris Paul’s Heated Interaction With Rajon Rondo Resurfaces

When the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Houston Rockets early into the 2018/19 season, the NBA crowd saw a wild turn of events. A heated fourth-quarter brawl circled the hosts’ Rajon Rondo and the visitors’ Chris Paul, leading to ejections and suspensions. Nearly six years later, the audio of this scuffle has resurfaced on the internet, garnering widespread fan attention.

A recent clip from X showed how an offensive foul from James Harden sparked this drama. After the then-Rockets talisman pushed Brandon Ingram to the post while driving to the basket, the latter sought revenge. Even though Harden was called for the foul, Ingram retaliated by shoving him back.

This ignited a heated exchange as players from both teams squared off against one another. Paul, for instance, confronted Rondo face to face, while ridiculing him. “Who are you?” CP3 jokingly asked the then-Lakers guard. Rondo soon responded to this mockery by spitting in Paul’s face, escalating the tension further.

Despite this, Paul initially kept his composure, declaring, “Don’t spit on me like that again”. However, out of the blue, he poked Rondo in the face moments later. This set off the brawl, with Rondo punching Paul, who fought back immediately. Teammates of both veterans consequently had to rush in to break up the fight.

Following this, all three of Ingram, Rondo, and Paul were ejected for their roles in the altercation. Later, the NBA imposed further penalties without pay. Ingram was handed a four-game suspension, while Rondo received a three-game ban for throwing the initial punch. Paul also received a two-game suspension for failing to control his emotions.

Despite the players’ dismay, the viewers admittedly enjoyed the drama. One fan, in particular, pointed precisely to this in the comments, thanking Ingram for instigating the brawl. “This made Brandon Ingram my fav player,” he jokingly wrote.

Another NBA fan expressed his amusement by highlighting his preference for Paul’s unhesitant counter-punch to Rondo over his warning. “Tellin somebody not to spit on you again<instantly swingin on someone that spit on you,” he mentioned.

This incident undoubtedly cast a shadow over the NBA while giving viewers an unforgettable memory. As a result, the supporters continue to revisit this moment years later, adding volume to the peculiarity of this exchange.