There was a whole lot of buzz along the courtside seats in the Hornets’ nest on Friday night.
During a game between the Bulls and Hornets at Spectrum Center, a Charlotte fan sitting in the second row from the court was ejected for trash talking Chicago’s Josh Giddey.
The guard was set to inbound the ball as the Hornets led 119-112 with 1:16 left to play in the fourth quarter. However, Giddey abandoned his spot and began walking down the courtside seats before finding the Hornets fan, who was standing up while pointing and giving Giddey the bird.
While pointing at him, Giddey said, “You’re making jokes you don’t know s–t about.”
The fan, who wore a tan sweatshirt and big black sunglasses, stood up and held his fist out, looking for a fist bump from Giddey, who wasn’t willing to go there. NBA referee Kevin Scott went on to blow his whistle several times and stepped in between the two as words were being exchanged.
Scott motioned for arena security to come over and have the fan ejected. He was escorted from the Spectrum Center by several security officers.
The Hornets’ lead could have been what sparked the fan to feel safe enough to act out. They beat the Bulls in the end, 123-116
“He just said something I didn’t like and I went over to him — that was it,” Giddey said after the game, per the AP. “Security took him out and that was the end of it.”
Giddey, a fifth-year 23-year-old, nearly earned his fifth triple-double of the season, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. He was accused in 2024 of having an alleged relationship with a minor, but no criminal charges were filed and the NBA closed its investigation without any punishment.
It’s not the first fan ejection to happen this week in the NBA, as a Kings fan was removed during a Sacramento-Suns game for going after Zach LaVine.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
