jack baer
Staff writer
Tue, Dec 17, 2024, 8:09 PM GMT-3·2 min read
The Charlotte Hornets organization was apparently visited by three ghosts last night.
A day after receiving criticism for a skit in which a child was "given" a PlayStation 5 then had it taken away, the Hornets apologized and announced in a statement they were making things right. The child will receive the PS5, as well as a VIP experience at a future game.
The Hornets' full statement:
The skit that "missed the mark" occurred in a break in play during the second quarter of Charlotte's game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The child was brought onto the court with Hugo, the Hornets' mascot, dressed as Santa Claus. After a letter to Santa requesting a PS5 was read out loud, a cheerleader came out with a bag containing the video game console.
The young fan was visibly overjoyed as he received the pricy gift. However, according to an online acquaintance, he was less happy when the cameras turned off and a Hornets staffer took it away, replacing it with a jersey.
The cheerleader and other people around were reportedly also confused when the PS5 was confiscated. The child's uncle was apparently informed he wouldn't get to keep the gift, but not the child himself.
The Charlotte Hornets played the Grinch on Monday. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Even in the most charitable of lenses, an NBA organization doing a skit in which it pretends to be generous to children is a bizarre look. The team was sold last year for approximately $3 billion, and its in-house entertainment department just had to pretend it had a spare $450-$500 (less if it got a Black Friday deal).
This was all very avoidable, but the child will at least get what he wanted. Meanwhile, the Hornets went on to lose 121-108 to the short-handed Sixers. Their record sits at 7-19.
Hornets apologize after pretending to give child PS5 and taking it away off camera
Staff writer
Tue, Dec 17, 2024, 8:09 PM GMT-3·2 min read
The Charlotte Hornets organization was apparently visited by three ghosts last night.
A day after receiving criticism for a skit in which a child was "given" a PlayStation 5 then had it taken away, the Hornets apologized and announced in a statement they were making things right. The child will receive the PS5, as well as a VIP experience at a future game.
The Hornets' full statement:
The skit that "missed the mark" occurred in a break in play during the second quarter of Charlotte's game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The child was brought onto the court with Hugo, the Hornets' mascot, dressed as Santa Claus. After a letter to Santa requesting a PS5 was read out loud, a cheerleader came out with a bag containing the video game console.
The young fan was visibly overjoyed as he received the pricy gift. However, according to an online acquaintance, he was less happy when the cameras turned off and a Hornets staffer took it away, replacing it with a jersey.
The cheerleader and other people around were reportedly also confused when the PS5 was confiscated. The child's uncle was apparently informed he wouldn't get to keep the gift, but not the child himself.
The Charlotte Hornets played the Grinch on Monday. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Even in the most charitable of lenses, an NBA organization doing a skit in which it pretends to be generous to children is a bizarre look. The team was sold last year for approximately $3 billion, and its in-house entertainment department just had to pretend it had a spare $450-$500 (less if it got a Black Friday deal).
This was all very avoidable, but the child will at least get what he wanted. Meanwhile, the Hornets went on to lose 121-108 to the short-handed Sixers. Their record sits at 7-19.
Hornets apologize after pretending to give child PS5 and taking it away off camera
wasn't a good owner on the basketball ops side, but even he wouldn't have allowed this to happen
