Things got out of hand during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, and it had nothing to do with the actual game. A fan ran out in the middle of the court and tried to take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama, and he was quickly removed by several security guards.
A day after, an NBA spokesperson made a statement regarding the incident, and two fans were banned from arenas for life.
“The individual who entered the court area during Game 1 of The Finals was arrested & will be banned for life from all NBA arenas. A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident,” the statement wrote.
Those fans risked their NBA experience for the rest of their life for a moment that only lasted for a few minutes, and one of them ended up going to jail. It's safe to say when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
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As for Wembanyama, he noted after the game that he hadn't been in the situation before.
“I've never been in that situation. I didn't know how to act. It really surprised almost as much as that time where a bat crashed the court,” Wembanyama said after the game.
Those two fans aren't the only ones from Game 1 who could face consequences. After the game, Jalen Brunson went over to Scott Foster to talk about two fans who were heckling him. The league plans to investigate the situation, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“Sources: NBA is looking into two courtside fans who allegedly directed vulgar profane ‘flopping' remarks towards Knicks star Jalen Brunson late in Game 1 of Finals. Brunson met with official Scott Foster after the game to address the fans’ behavior to which the remarks continued,” Haynes wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Things got out of hand during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, and it had nothing to do with the actual game. A fan ran out in the middle of the court and tried to take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama, and he was quickly removed by several security guards.