What about a deliberate foul?
When a young Charlotte Hornets fan was given a coveted PlayStation 5 during Monday night’s game in front of a boisterous crowd, he thought he was getting a Christmas wish. However, he was devastated when the team took the gaming console away from him backstage a short while later.
Alexei Phillips said he accompanied his 13-year-old nephew to see the Hornets play the Philadelphia 76ers on Queen City News, a local news outlet. According to him, a Hornets staff member asked them whether they wanted to play with the team’s mascot, Hugo, at the beginning of the game.
“We were approached by a member of their fan squad who asked if any of us would like to join Hugo on the court. “Yeah,” he informed the station.
Phillips and his nephew are seen standing on the court beside Hugo, who is wearing a Santa costume, in a social media video. What seems like a Christmas letter is read by an announcer.
“This is another letter I have. It reads, ‘Dear Santa Hugo, I’ve been putting in a lot of effort at school this year. Although I’ve been working on it, I still need to improve my jump shot in [NBA] 2K. If you have a PlayStation, I would really like one. A PlayStation 5 would be great.
A dancer for the Hornets enters the court with a big gift bag that contains a PS5, although it’s unclear if Phillips’ nephew authored the letter. As Hugo gives him the gift, the teenager is clearly thrilled.
“Happy holidays, friend,” says the announcer.
Phillips claims that as soon as they walked backstage, the holiday spirit vanished. The PS5 was swiftly taken away by a Hornets employee.
“It got pretty awkward,” he said to the newscast. “Because [the staffer] had to make it clear he wasn’t joking.”
Phillips informed the television station that the staffer had whispered to him just before he and his nephew stepped out onto the court that the kid would not be able to keep the gift and would instead receive a jersey.
The incident was characterized by the Hornets as a “on-court skit that missed the mark.” Phillips and his nephew’s parents were contacted by the squad, who gave the teenager a PS5 and a VIP experience at another game.
In a statement to media outlets, the team said that “the skit included bad decision making and poor communication.” “To put it simply, we apologize and we turned the tables. We have made contact with the family and are dedicated to going above and beyond their expectations. Our objective has been and will continue to be to improve the experience of every visitor to Spectrum Center and to express our gratitude to our fans for their unwavering support.”
According to Phillips, there are no animosities toward the team.
“The funny thing is, if he had just gone out in the first place and they just gave him a jersey out there on the court, he would have been stoked, you know,” said the reporter.
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