NBA players have always got abuse from fans. But is it getting worse?

Dealing with slurs is nothing new for basketball stars. But some believe harassment has become more severe in the age of smartphones and social media

Former NBA champion Jim Chones, who won a ring with the 1980 Showtime Lakers, believes the relationship between fans and players has changed since his era. In decades past, the NBA was purely a sports league, one that provided entertainment to those in the seats or watching on television. Now, though, he says, it's an entire social network."

This fan is different," Chones tells the Guardian. If you're basing what a fan is on traditional values and issues and character, you're going to miss the whole boat."