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NBA commissioner Adam Silver said major sporting events present “a huge platform to do stupid things.”
At this time, a visitor rushed to the court game one At the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Wednesday, a young man was taking pictures of himself on his phone as he approached Victor Wembanyama.
He stopped in front of the San Antonio Spurs star, without making contact with the 22-year-old Frenchman, before two security guards quickly escorted him away.
He was arrested on charges of willfully interfering with a lawful assembly and criminal trespass for entering court premises despite a notice that such entry was prohibited.
An NBA spokesman confirmed that the court attacker and a second person will receive lifetime bans from all NBA arenas. The league did not disclose what role the second person played.
“I’ve never been in a situation where I didn’t know how to act,” said Wembaniyama, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“It really surprised me, almost when a bat crossed the court,” added the France international, referring to an incident during a Spurs game in January 2024.
Commissioner Silver said: “I hesitate to even describe that person as a fan. It seems they had an ulterior motive behind doing it.
“It’s all part of the game unfortunately,” he added.
“I think the other side of the coin of global attention is that somebody realizes that there are these huge platforms to do stupid things. If you do that, the consequences are dramatic.”
Silver also said extra security will be needed at New York’s Madison Square Garden if US President Donald Trump attends a game after the NBA Finals.
Trump said he would accept an invitation from New York Knicks owner James Dolan and “maybe do both” for three games on Monday and four games on Wednesday.
