NBA bans juvenile fan for life after he rushes court to get selfie with Victor Wembanyama
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- Two fans received lifetime bans from NBA arenas after one sprinted onto the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals to film himself with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
- Security quickly stopped the on-court intruder, who was arrested. A second fan was banned for his role in the disruptive stunt.
Two fans have been banned for life from NBA arenas after one of them ran onto the court in an apparent attempt to film himself with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
As the Spurs were taking the ball downcourt midway through the fourth quarter, a fan dashed onto the floor to where Wembanyama and New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson were playing away from the ball near the three-point line.
The fan held his phone out as he stood in front of Wembanyama and was almost immediately placed in a bear hug by a member of Frost Bank Arena security, then dragged away by that guard and one other.
A Victor Wembanyama rookie card recently sold for $5.11 million, a record for a non-autographed NBA card. Wemby has helped the Spurs to a 2-2 tie with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
“The juvenile committed the offense of Disrupting Meeting or Procession (Texas Penal Code §42.05) by intentionally disrupting a lawful gathering, namely, the Spurs basketball game, through physical interference,” the Bexar sheriff’s office said in a statement emailed to The Times.
“Additionally, the juvenile committed the offense of Criminal Trespass (Texas Penal Code §30.05) by entering property, specifically the basketball court, without the effective consent of the owner, despite having notice that entry onto the court was prohibited. ...
“The juvenile was subsequently arrested for the above-listed charges.”
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The NBA said in a statement that the second fan was banned “for his role in the incident” but did not provide details.
A video that appears to have been taken on the first fan’s phone as the incident unfolded has been uploaded to social media. In it, the fan appears to film himself running onto the court and trying to stop in front of Wembanyama to get him in the shot.
The 7-foot-4 superstar is cut off at the neck in the footage.
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Throughout the incident, the fan yells, “Wemby!” as well as what is thought to be the name of a meme coin.
As it all went down, Wembanyama looks somewhat amused; Robinson does not.
“I’ve never been in that situation,” Wembanyama said after the Spurs’ 105-95 loss. “I didn’t know how to act.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
