A thrilling NBA Finals opener in San Antonio was briefly interrupted by a fan who stormed the court to take a selfie during fourth-quarter action of the New York Knicks’ 105-95 win over the Spurs.
Security at Frost Bank Arena descended on the unidentified spectator, who was smiling at his phone as two guards encircled him. The fan appeared to be trying to take his picture with a somewhat amused Victor Wembanyama,.
Play was stopped for about a minute.
The incident led to some confusion in San Antonio, where officials needed to huddle to determine possession. Ultimately a jump ball was ordered, which the Spurs won.
The play took place during a critical sequence as the Spurs were trying to get back into the game after surrendering a 14-point third-quarter lead. Instead, the underdog Knicks took control of the final six minutes if play, outscoring the Spurs 13-9 over that time.
Spurs spokespeople did not immediately respond to The Daily Mail’s request for more information. Typically fans who storm the court during play are given lifetime bans, if they’re not arrested as well.
A fan runs onto the court and takes a photo with Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday
Two security guards encircled the man, who was quickly removed from the court
The selfie is likely to come out blurry as the fan never had time to set his feet properly
Not only did the ABC announcers criticize the fan for running onto the court, but thousands of NBA enthusiasts on social media did so as well.
‘Imagine spending as much money as those tickets cost to do that dumb s***,’ one angry fan wrote on X.
Another viewer suspected a financial motivation involving prediction markets.
‘Hey does anyone know if Kalshi was offering a “will a fan run on to the court” prop?’ they asked. ‘Because of so, I think we have a motive other than just being a selfish dumba**. Well, I mean even if that’s the case, he’s still a selfish dumba**, but now he’s a rich selfish dumba**.’
And one other X user joked about the state’s infatuation with corporal punishment.
‘Texas will give him the death penalty,’ they joked.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is on Friday night in San Antonio, where the Spurs will try to pull even with the Knicks at a game apiece.
