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A man who ran onto court in San Antonio to take selfie with Victor Wembanyama in NBA Finals Game 1 has been arrested and banned for life.
The fan was quickly escorted off the court. (Screengrab/X)
A fan who ran onto the court in San Antonio during Game 1 of the NBA Finals in an attempt to take a selfie with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been banned for life from all NBA arenas, a league spokesperson said Thursday.
“The individual who entered the court area during Game 1 of The Finals was arrested and will be banned for life from all NBA arenas,” the spokesperson said. “A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident.”
The incident briefly halted play midway through the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks’ Game 1 victory at Frost Bank Center. Holding up a cellphone, the fan ran onto the court and stopped in front of a bemused Wembanyama and Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson before security guards intervened, pushing him away and escorting him off the floor.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office told the San Antonio Express-News that the fan was a juvenile and, therefore, his name would not be released. However, he was arrested on charges of intentionally interfering with a lawful gathering and criminal trespass after entering the court area despite being notified that such access was prohibited.
Wembanyama admitted after the game that he was non-plussed by the incident.
“I’ve never been in that situation,” Wembanyama said. “I didn’t know how to act. It really surprised me, almost as much as that time (when) a bat crossed the court,” added the French star, who experienced the bat fly-by during a game at Frost Bank Center in his rookie season.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson also downplayed the disruption.
“I don’t think it was an event at all,” Johnson said. “I thought security got him out of there. I think everybody moved on to the next play.”
US media reported Thursday that the NBA is also investigating a separate fan interaction involving Knicks star Jalen Brunson during Game 1. The incident prompted Brunson to complain to referee Scott Foster about the fan’s behavior. Broadcast footage showed Brunson engaged in a heated exchange with a courtside fan in the final minute of the game. The Athletic reported that the league was examining whether the fan had inappropriately taunted the player.
With AFP Inputs
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Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
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