Fan arrested and banned for life after running onto court to take selfie with Victor Wembanyama

A fan ran onto the court and took a photo with Victor Wembanyama during the fourth quarter. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

A fan was arrested and banned for life after running onto the court and taking a selfie video with Victor Wembanyama during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

The bizarre moment occurred nearly midway through the fourth quarter, with the New York Knicks leading 92-86. The fan ran onto the court as the San Antonio Spurs were on offense, before stopping next to Wembanyama and attempting to record a selfie video with the San Antonio star.

“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.”

The fan was quickly caught by two security guards who escorted him off the court. The man didn’t appear to make contact with any of the players during his few seconds on court, with replays showing Wembanyama smiling and looking confused.

“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, referring to another strange – albeit semi-regular occurrence in San Antonio – incident that occurred before a game in 2024.

The incident caused the game to be paused for a short time before play got back underway with a jump ball.

“I don’t think it was an event at all,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I thought security got him out of there. I think everybody moved on to the next play.”

The Knicks went on to secure victory in Game 1, beating the Spurs 105-95 at Frost Bank Center. The win extends the Knicks’ playoff win streak to 12 games, becoming the seventh team in NBA history to achieve the feat.

Game 2 in the series will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday in San Antonio.

By Ben Church, CNN