NBA Finals court invader incident led to lifetime arena bans after a fan ran onto the floor during Game 1 to take a selfie with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
The incident happened with 6:28 left in the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks’ 105-95 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center. The fan carried a cellphone and moved toward Wembanyama and Knicks centre Mitchell Robinson.
An NBA spokesperson said the person who entered the court area was arrested and would be banned from all NBA arenas for life. The spokesperson said a second person would also receive a lifetime ban for their role in the incident.
Security guards stopped the fan and escorted him off the court. The arrested fan was a juvenile, limiting further public comment on the case.
Wembanyama said he had never faced that situation and did not know how to react. He said the moment surprised him almost as much as a 2024 incident when a bat flew onto the court before a Spurs game.
The interruption caused a brief delay, and officials restarted play with a jump ball after losing track of possession. Wembanyama won the tip before play resumed.
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