NBA Bans Two Fans for Life After Wembanyama Selfie Incident

The NBA has banned two fans for life after an incident in which a man ran on to the court to take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama during Game 1 of the finals.

In a separate case, ESPN reports that the league is investigating an incident during Wednesday night’s game when New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson became upset after an interaction with fans during the fourth quarter of his team’s 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

In the first incident, a fan ran on the court holding his phone above his head during the fourth quarter. He approached Wembanyama and appeared to attempt a selfie with the Spurs star, who smiled briefly as security closed in and escorted the fan out of the arena.

“The individual who entered the court area during Game 1 of The Finals was arrested and will be banned for life from all NBA arenas. A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident,” the NBA said in a statement on Thursday.

Wembanyama said he was bemused rather than shaken by the incident. “I’ve never been in that situation,” Wembanyama said. “I didn’t know how to act. It really surprised me, almost as much as that time [when] a bat crossed the court.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the incident wasn’t a factor in San Antonio struggling to down the stretch as the Knicks ended on an 11-0 scoring run.

In the Brunson incident, the Knicks guard appeared to become upset with a group of fans courtside in the final minute of the game. He spoke to crew chief Scott Foster and then talked to him again after the end of the game. Brunson has received criticism this season from some fans who have accused him of “flopping” to win fouls. Brunson finished the game with 30 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Game 2 of the finals takes place on Friday night in San Antonio before the series moves to New York for Monday’s Game 3.