[djb]

Apparently Ching wasn't the only one who heard the slurs and complained. A CAUCASIAN man also complained to the league.

Fans accuse Kings' Williams of racial slurs
By Dave Del Grande
STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND -- Three season ticketholders in the first row behind the visitor's bench at the Arena -- two Asian-American men and a Caucasian man who was accompanied by a Vietnamese girlfriend -- claim Sacramento guard Jason Williams directed racial and anti-gay epithets at them during the Kings' game against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 28.

According to Michael Ching and Earl Butler, both of San Jose, and Duke Tsai of San Carlos, Williams loudly boasted, "I'm going to kill all you Asian (people)," during what Ching labeled had started off as "usual" give-and-take between the fans and the visiting players.

The NBA fined Williams $15,000 on Tuesday -- 13 days after the fact -- for "directing profanity toward fans."

The three men claim he did a lot worse than that.

Ching, who like Tsai was seated alongside a male Asian-American friend, recalled riding Williams while he was out of the lineup during the Kings' 122-101 victory.

"We were doing a little bit of the usual thing ... 'Why are you sitting on the bench?' he claimed. "He looked me in the face and said, 'Are you gay?' What? 'Are you gay?' What? 'Are you a fag?'

"I said, 'Is that all you know, three-letter words?' Then he said, 'I'm going to kill all you Asian (people). We fought you all in the war. You Vietnamese. You Japanese ...'"

All three men claim Williams then pointed his index finger at them in a gun motion and said, "Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat," immitating the sound of a machine gun.

Butler said the Kings' trainer, Pete Youngman, heard the remarks and stepped into the five-foot area between the Kings' bench and the first row of seats. But, he claimed, that didn't stop Williams from barking.

"He's the John Rocker of basketball," said Butler, who said he's a 10-year season ticketholder. "I went to the Kings' trainer and asked, 'Can't you do something?' He said, 'What am I going to do?'"

Ching said Williams, 25, who was suspended by the NBA for the first five games of this season for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy, blurted "just like Pearl Harbor" as he continued his gun motion.

"I said, 'Where did you go to history class?'" Ching said.

The three men, who also attended Wednesday's game against Utah, said they were approached by a Warriors representative later in the Kings game. Ching claims he was warned to watch himself or he would be ejected.

"At that point, I decided to lodge a formal complaint," Ching said.

He said he Federal Expressed letters the next day, March 1, to NBA commissioner David Stern, NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik, Warriors owner Chris Cohan, Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean, Warriors vice president of business operations Bobby Rowell and Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof.

"I can tell you the gentleman (Ching) approached me after the game," Rowell said. "I told him to send a letter to the NBA. Then, eventually it (letter) was sent to the league and they did what they needed to do."

Asked if the Warriors' organization was satisfied with the penalty, Rowell said: That's not my job. I'm not the commissioner to evaluate fines in the NBA."

Curt Jimerson, a security guard assigned to Warriors games by the NBA, said he couldn't comment.

On the eve of the fine being announced, Ching said he received a call from Joe Maloof on Monday, apologizing on Williams' behalf and inviting Ching and his guest to a game in Sacramento.

Unsatisfied with the response, Ching has done an interview with Asian Weekly newspaper, whose management promised it would follow up on the incident.

"Until he makes an apology to the Asian community and the people he offended," Ching insisted, "it's not settled."

Source: Fans accuse Kings' Williams of racial slurs