A teenage fan who ran onto the court midway through the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at the Frost Bank Center was arrested and will be banned for life from all NBA arenas, the league said.
“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,” an NBA spokesperson said. “A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident.”
It was not clear how that unidentified second person was involved.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said it could not release the name of the fan who ran onto the court because he is a minor.
The fan, holding a cellphone in his right hand, interrupted the game with 6:28 left and the Knicks leading 92-86. Security personnel quickly took him into custody. The incident briefly delayed the game while referees stopped play and conferred with coaches for the two teams.
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass and disrupting a meeting or procession, both Class B misdemeanors. A court system source said later that the case was deemed a non-arrest matter, and the teen, who was from outside the San Antonio area, was released.
A Bexar County Sheriff’s Office source said the stunt may have been intended to draw attention to a website.
“I’ve never been in that situation,” Wembanyama said afterward. “I didn’t know how to act. It really surprised me, almost as much as that time (when) a bat crossed the court.”
Wembanyama was referring to a game against Minnesota on Jan. 27, 2024, at the Frost Bank Center, when a bat disrupted play by buzzing the court.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson dismissed Wednesday night’s incident as a non-event. “I thought security got him out of there,” he said. “I think everybody moved on to the next play.”
