Just when Game 1 of the NBA Finals entered the final few minutes, an interruption brought all the action to a halt. A strange moment left Victor Wembanyama and players completely confused. It was all thanks to a court invasion!

With just 6:28 remaining in the 4th quarter, the live play was stopped. A young fan sprinted onto the basketball court carrying a phone. 

He ran straight into the offensive end for the Spurs. Right in the middle of the play, he tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama. The fan had his phone out to capture the selfie, as seen in a video posted by X user ZeroChillSports.

The NBA Fan Code of Conduct strictly bans anyone from entering the court or messing with the play. Breaking this rule leads to being evicted from the arena immediately without a refund. It can also cause a ban from the arena, the loss of season tickets, and legal action. 

Seeing this in the finals has been a rare sight, with one incident happening in the iconic Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers series back in 2016.

Despite the abrupt interruption, Wembanyama looked calm and even offered a small smile when it happened. After the game, he shared his thoughts on the unusual moment. He said, "I’ve never been in that situation. I didn’t know how to act. It really surprised me almost as much as that time a bat crashed the court."

The postgame comment about a bat points back to an actual event from January 2024. During a regular-season game between the Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves, a bat flew down onto the court and stopped the game. Both of these rare interruptions took place at the very same arena. 

The unusual delay on the court was a small part of a frustrating evening that left the home team searching for answers.

Why Game 1 Slipped Away

Away from the unusual delays, the performance of Wembanyama in his Finals debut was not up to the mark. He put up 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots, but he also had 6 turnovers. 

He went 6-for-21 from the field and 2-for-9 from the three-point line, though he did make 11 of his 12 free throws. 

The Spurs could not control the paint on a regular basis or force the defense to adjust. That pressure also played a big part in the 6 giveaways by Wembanyama.

"I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that. ... I think we let that one go," Wembanyama explained after the game.

The Knicks won the game 105 to 95, and now have a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams will meet again for Game 2 on Friday, June 5, in San Antonio.

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Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar