One fan was arrested shortly after running onto the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals; another fan was suspended for his role in the incident.
SAN ANTONIO — The NBA banned two people from its arenas for life Thursday, one of whom was arrested shortly after running onto the court during a game. Game 1 of the NBA Finals And seems to be taking a selfie next to it San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama.
A second fan has been suspended for his involvement in an incident midway through the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game between the Spurs and New York Knicks. The NBA did not disclose specific details of that person’s involvement.
“The individual who entered the court during Game 1 of the Finals has been arrested and will receive a lifetime ban from all NBA arenas,” an NBA spokesperson said in a release. “The second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident.”
The fan who was eventually arrested appeared to have entered the court from the sideline opposite the team’s bench, starting at the back of the game and charging into the Spurs’ offense. The individual was quickly pulled from the court by two security guards and did not appear to have any physical contact with Wembanya or any New York players.
Wembanyama did not appear to be bothered by the incident either at the time or after it happened.
“I’ve never been in that situation,” Wembanyama said. “I don’t know how to act.”
The game was paused for 1 minute and 29 seconds, then restarted with a jump ball. Fans entering the game are ushered out of the court area through the baseline tunnel.
“I don’t think it was an incident at all,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I thought security took him out of there. I thought everyone moved on to the next game.”
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