I strongly disagree. Any athlete, pro, college, high school, should NEVER respond in kind to a-hole fans. You can just point to the scoreboard if you want to show them you're ahead, but that's it as far as acknowledging any stupid verbal or flipping-off abuse.
Ron Artest got in trouble at The Palace of Auburn Hill, Michigan not because he was jawing with Ben Wallace who pushed him, but because he (plus Stephen Jackson, etc.) started getting into verbal sparring with fans, escalating into a beer bath and soon all out punching riot in the stands.