Did Rajon Rondo actually spit in Chris Paul’s face? A SpitGate investigation

There’s some damning camera angles. Rondo will have some explaining to do.

Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo traded punches in the fourth quarter of Rockets vs. Lakers Friday night, and Paul said he threw the first punch because Rondo spat on him. Brandon Ingram darted over and landed a punch on Paul, too.

Now, all three find themselves with suspensions, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, with Ingram set to miss his next four games, Rondo the next three, and Paul his next two.

Rondo, though, denied the accusation of spitting at Paul, and so did Lakers management after watching the tape. Carmelo Anthony called spitting “blatant disrespect.”

No one knows what to believe. It’s time for an investigation.

What happened?

The mini brawl started with about 4:13 left in the fourth quarter when James Harden barreled into Brandon Ingram during a fast break and was awarded with a trip to the free throw line. Shortly after, Ingram shoved Harden, was assessed a technical foul, then started jawing with a referee.

Lance Stephenson grabbed Ingram and separated him from the mess. That’s when things started to escalate.

In all video angles, you can see Paul and Rondo have an extended, heated discussion while the attention is on Ingram. Then Paul appears to wipe his face before putting his finger into Rondo’s face.

Rondo then landed a left cross on Paul, who retaliated with some punches of his own. It was stuff that got Floyd Mayweather out of his court side seat. Ingram darted back into the scene and used his height and length to land a punch on Paul, too. LeBron James grabbed his friend, CP3, and Anthony grabbed Ingram after he threw a punch. It was mayhem — more punches the NBA has seen on one of its courts in a long time.

But was there spit?

Chris Paul says so. He told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that was the case, and you can definitely see him wiping his face before mushing Rondo with his finger.

Carmelo Anthony also told reporters Rondo spit at Paul. He called it “unacceptable,” adding “you don’t even see that in the streets.”

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni also told Nichols, “some spit was thrown.”

But Rondo asserted he did not spit on Paul during their heated discussion prior to the fight, and according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Lakers’ guard was “livid over the accusation.” Lakers management spoke with Rondo and both watched the altercation again. Neither saw spit from Rondo on the tape.

Is Rondo innocent?

It doesn’t look like Rondo spat at Paul. He also wore a mouthpiece during the game. If you’ve ever worn one, you know it’s borderline impossible — unless you’re a Level 5,000 expert spitter — to spit with a mouthpiece in place.

But it’s undeniable that CP3 wipes something off his face before putting his finger in Rondo’s face. And in an Instagram post from Ballgod, there’s an angle that actually shows spit leaving Rondo’s mouth! If this video is real and unedited (and we don’t know that for certain), it’s pretty damning evidence.

Another possibility? Friendly fire.

An alternative theory has emerged in the aftermath, with some considering the idea that it may have been a teammate that was inadvertently responsible.

Here’s an angle that shows Carmelo Anthony talking in Paul’s direction before CP3 wipes his face. Anthony was having words with a referee, and when the official walked behind Rondo away from the action, Melo looked in Paul’s direction and shouted something at the ref.

But again, looking at this camera angle, it doesn’t look like spit from Anthony’s words toward the referee could have angled its way onto Paul’s face. Pay closer attention to Melo in this video.

So what’s the verdict?

Chris Paul was definitely spat on — you can see the visceral reaction when he wipes his face. And in the Instagram video posted earlier, you can see spit leaving Rondo’s mouth in Paul’s direction.

Look at it again.

It’s pretty hard for Rondo to deny that one. Rondo’s best bet now is making the case that the spit was unintentional, and it didn’t go directly toward Paul’s face.

Paul and Rondo had already been jawing back and forth all game, and they’ve had history over the years.

Spitting, though, is a new level of disrespect, and the evidence is mounting up in Paul’s favor.

Our investigation’s results: Rajon Rondo, guilty. And he, Paul and Brandon Ingram are all going to hear from the league office for this one.