During the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, one fan trecked onto the court and attempted to take a selfie with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. The act resulted in the fan being arrested and later informed that he had been banned from all NBA arenas.
The selfie stopped play during the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks 105-95 win with 6:28 remaining in a then six-point game. The fan ran beside Wembanyama and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson around the three point line and was promptly escorted away from the court by members of security.
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“A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident,” an NBA spokesperson said according to ESPN.
Wembanyama appeared to be amused by the fan during the admittedly odd interaction.
“I didn’t know how to act,” Wembanyama said. “It really surprised me, almost as much as that time a bat crossed the court.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver slammed the fan when speaking to the media on Thursday during an event in San Antonio.
“I even hesitate to describe that person as a fan,” Silver said. “They seemed to have an ulterior motive for doing so. … The other side of the coin of global attention is that somebody realizes there’s an enormous platform to do stupid things. .. They will be banned for life, not just from [Frost Bank Center] but every arena in the NBA. The consequences are dramatic if you do this.”
Patrick Dowd is a contributor for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
