NBA chief warns fans after ‘stupid’ court invasion

Major sports events present an “enormous platform to do stupid things”, says NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

A spectator ran on to the court during game one of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Wednesday, with a young man filming himself on his phone as he approached Victor Wembanyama.

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He stopped in front of the San Antonio Spurs star, without appearing to make contact with the 22-year-old Frenchman, before two security guards swiftly bundled him away.

He was arrested on charges of intentionally interfering with a lawful gathering, and criminal trespass for entering the court area despite having notice that such entry was prohibited.

An NBA spokesperson confirmed that the court invader and a second individual will receive a lifetime ban from all NBA arenas. The league did not disclose what role the second individual played.

“I’ve never been in that situation, I didn’t know how to act,” said Wembanyama, the NBA’s defensive player of the year.

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“It really surprised me, almost as much as that time where a bat crossed the court,” added the France international, referring to an incident during a Spurs game in January 2024.

Commissioner Silver said: “I even hesitate to describe that person as a fan. They seemed to have an ulterior motive for doing so.

“It’s unfortunately part of all sports,” he added.

“I think the other side of the coin of global attention is that somebody realises that there’s this enormous platform to do stupid things. The consequences are dramatic if you do this.”

Silver also said extra security will be required at New York’s Madison Square Garden if US President Donald Trump attends a game later in the NBA Finals.

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Trump said he will take up an invite from New York Knicks owner James Dolan and “maybe do both” game three on Monday and game four on Wednesday.

The NBA incident comes a week before the start of football’s World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Pitch invaders have been increasingly common in football, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having been targeted for selfies on multiple occasions.

Several fans invaded the pitch…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-chief-warns-fans-stupid-090350849.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-05 09:03:00

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