- The incident occurred after Cal’s last-second loss to UTEP in a tournament game
- Aimaq, who is 6 feet tall, was seen getting into the smaller fan’s face
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California Golden Bears senior center Fardaws Aimaq was seen confronting a fan after Monday’s SoCal Challenge tournament game, but only after he was allegedly subjected to racist verbal abuse.
The incident occurred after Cal’s last-second loss to UTEP in San Juan Capistrano, California. Aimaq was seen walking into the crowd where he got into a heated confrontation with the fan.
‘Do you want to talk? Do you want to talk?’ Aimaq asked before sticking his finger in the significantly smaller man’s face.
Then you hear someone say to Aimaq: ‘Grow up, man. That’s why you lose.’
But on Wednesday, Cal coach and former Los Angeles Lakers forward Mark Madsen revealed that Aimaq had allegedly been called a “terrorist.”
Fardaws Aimaq was seen confronting a fan after Monday’s SoCal Challenge tournament match
Fardaws Aimaq played for Texas Tech last February before transferring to Cal
Cal coach and former Lakers forward Mark Madsen (right) released a statement afterward
“During and after Monday’s match, Fardaws Aimaq was reportedly subjected to disgusting and insulting comments from a fan, including being called a terrorist,” Madsen said in a team statement. “I have asked the SoCal Challenge tournament director to conduct a formal investigation and ban this fan from entering the venue.”
While the 47-year-old two-time NBA champion disagreed with the fan, he refused to clear Aimaq for going into the crowd after the defeat.
“Fardaws and I had an important conversation today about how he needs to keep his composure no matter what happens in a match or what is said directly to him,” Madsen continued.
“I am disturbed that Fardaws was reportedly on the receiving end of such language, and I am disappointed that he confronted this fan in the stands. Fardaws understands my expectations for how he conducts himself as a student-athlete.”
Madsen did not announce any punishment for Aimaq: “The consequences of this situation will be managed internally!”
The child of Afghan refugees who fled the war-torn country in 1989, Aimaq was born in Vancouver and attended boarding school in Maine before enrolling at Mercer in 2018.
Aimaq, a black belt in martial arts, has since transferred to Utah Valley, Texas Tech and, finally, Cal.
