Two days after agreeing to a lucrative two-year extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, star wide receiver Mike Evans found a more hilarious and creative way to make headlines on Wednesday evening.
The new $52 million man had courtside seats for the Houston Rockets’ Wednesday evening home game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Toyota Center. Evans’ presence alone is not what made headlines, though.
ESPN cameras caught Evans and Rockets star guard Fred VanVleet arguing with an official late in the fourth quarter. While FVV seemed rather calm in his discussion with the ref, Evans was clearly a lot more agitated:
Evans is a well-known Rockets superfan who frequently attends their home games. He was born in Galveston, Texas, a city 50 miles south of Houston and played his college football at Texas A&M before turning professional.
Unfortunately for Evans, the visiting Clippers emerged victorious with a 122-116 victory that dropped Houston to 27-35.
Despite reports that he was set to test free agency, Evans and the Bucs wound up agreeing to a massive two-year extension worth $52 million. The soon-to-be 31-year-old has spent his entire career with Tampa Bay, helping the team to four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl 55 championship in the 2020 season.
In 2023, Evans hauled in 79 receptions for 1,255 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdown receptions. He has hit 1,000 yards receiving in each of his 10 NFL seasons.