A fan who ran onto the court to film a selfie with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during Game 1 of the NBA Finals has been arrested and permanently banned from all NBA arenas.
The incident unfolded midway through the fourth quarter Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, briefly stopping play as the Spurs hosted the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the championship series.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the fan — a juvenile whose identity was not released — intentionally breached court security and entered the playing surface during the game.
Authorities said the teen was arrested on charges of disrupting a meeting or procession and criminal trespass.
The disrupting charge stems from allegations that the individual intentionally interfered with a lawful gathering by entering the court during the game, the sheriff’s office said.
The criminal trespass charge alleges the teen entered a restricted area without permission despite notice that access to the court was prohibited.
Video from the game showed the fan running onto the court while the Spurs were on offense. He stopped next to Wembanyama and appeared to record a selfie video before being tackled by security personnel and escorted from the arena.
The disruption caused a brief delay as officials paused play and met to determine how to resume the game.
The NBA announced afterward that the fan would receive a lifetime ban from all league arenas.
“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 person will also receive a lifetime ban for their role in the incident, the league said.
Wembanyama appeared more surprised than alarmed by the encounter.
“I’ve never been in that situation. I didn’t know how to act,” Wembanyama said after the game.
“It really surprised me, almost as much as that time where a bat crashed the court,” he added.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson downplayed the interruption.
“I thought security got him out of there. I think everybody moved on to the next play,” Johnson said.
The Knicks went on to defeat the Spurs 105-95, taking a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals. The victory marked New York’s 12th consecutive playoff win, making the Knicks just the seventh team in NBA history to reach that milestone.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in San Antonio.
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