NBA team Charlotte Hornets cracked and forced to apologize after recently giving a young fan a PlayStation 5 console during a Christmas-themed half-time show and then taking the console away after the cameras turned off . The team is also giving the fan a PS5 to hold this time too.
On December 16, during a basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets, young fans were brought onto the court to greet the cheerleaders and team mascots. While in court, a woman read their Christmas letters to Santa and handed out presents. One child, who worked really hard to get good grades this year, want a PlayStation 5 token. And that's what the children got. You can see how happy he is in the video below. But this video also claims that after halftime, staff removed the PS5 and replaced it with a jersey.
Boston 25 explained that the cheerleaders and others involved in the halftime event were reportedly upset when staff took away the children's PS5 gift. Apparently, the child's uncle, possibly the adult in the gray and blue hoodie in the video above, knew in advance that the gift would be taken away and ' failed to share that information with his nephew.
As you might expect, the team worth billions didn't go cheap and taking away a baby's Christmas present after pretending to give it to him in front of the cameras, didn't go over well online. Of course, people called out the team and staff for the shocking scene, and within 24 hours the Hornets issued an apology.
On Tuesday, the team said their “courtship skid … missed the mark” and blamed “bad decisions and bad communication.”
“Simply put, we turned the ball over and we're sorry. We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making it right but exceeding expectations,” the team said in a statement shared by reporter Nick Carboni.
“We're giving the PS5 to the fan he should have taken home last night along with a VIP experience to a future game. Our goal is and will continue to be to enhance the guest experience of everyone who enters the Spectrum Center, and show our fans how much we appreciate their continued support.”
And in case you were wondering: The Hornets met with karmic justice Monday night after taking away the kid's PS5. The team went on to lose 121-108 to the Sixers.
