Nets’ favorite heckler not at home in B’klyn
IT’S NOT AS easy being Mr. Whammy in Brooklyn.
Bruce Reznick, aka Mr. Whammy, the most recognizable and eccentric Nets fan, was booted from his usual position under the basket, where for 15 years he has put a hex on opposing players shooting free throws.
The 77-year-old lawyer, a mainstay at Nets games in New Jersey, negotiated his way to a position a little farther back, next to the media table, where his “whammy” worked eight out of 27 times in Friday’s 106-96 preseason loss to the 76ers.
“They told me I was blocking the path to the emergency exit,” Reznick said after a member of the 76ers security team lodged a complaint. “Fifteen years in New Jersey in the same position and I never had a problem.
“They told me I was distracting the players. I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the point.’ ”
Reznick was fitted in a black and white Brooklyn custom uniform before the game, a gesture from the arena staff. He immediately changed from his red New Jersey Nets uniform, vowing to wear his gift to every game.
Then the Brooklyn resident commenced the ritual.
“Look at me, No. 21, look at me. You’re gonna miss, you’re gonna miss,” shouted Reznick, who believes he provides “between five or seven points a game” for the Nets in the form of missed free throws.
“I have a very nice average,” he said.
But Reznick’s presence directly under the hoop became a security issue — discussed even with referee Dan Crawford — before he settled for a less desirable location.
A pocket of fans even chanted “Whammy” in support.
There were also security complications on Monday in the Nets’ debut at the Barclays Center, and Reznick mistakenly thought the issue had beenresolved.
Reznick has a law degree from NYU, but his “whammy” isn’t complicated (although he refused to divulge all the details for fear of giving up his secret). He stands under the basket after moving up from his front-row seat — where he is always next to his wife, Judith — and holds out both hands with index and pinkie fingers held upward like bullhorns.
Reznick then pushes his hands forward while placing the “whammy” on players, calling them out by only their uniform numbers, even if he knows their names.
Mr. Whammy has self-imposed restrictions, however. He refuses to hex Jason Kidd or Richard Jefferson out of loyalty.
Otherwise, no opposing player is safe from “The Whammy” — unless the restrictions of the Barclays Center break the hex.
“If they don’t let him stand there,” Judith said, “I think he’s going to stop coming to games.”