Professional NBA team the Charlotte Hornets issued an apology to a young fan after the internet criticized them for allegedly taking back a PlayStation 5 Christmas gift they gave to the kid in front of cameras.
The incident happened during a Christmas-themed halftime skit on Dec. 16, 2024, in the middle of a basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets.
Many young fans were called to get on the court and greet the cheerleaders and the team's mascot.
NBA Team Apologizes to Young Fan
A woman then read the kids' Christmas letters to Santa and handed out gifts to them based on their wishes. One kid in particular, who worked really hard to get good grades in school, wanted a PlayStation 5 for Christmas.
He was given the console in front of cameras, and he was visibly ecstatic when he was handed the PlayStation 5. However, it was said that after the skit, executives took the kid's newly received Christmas gift and replaced it with a jersey, according to Kotaku.
The online user who posted the video explained that cheerleaders and other people involved in the halftime skit were confused about why the console was being taken back.
The child's uncle apparently knew that it was going to be returned but was not able to let the kid know.
A lot of people who found out about the issue were obviously not happy with how a team that is worth billions of dollars would cheap out on giving a young boy a Christmas gift. This went down particularly badly because the gift was given to the boy in front of the cameras.
A Cruel Christmas Skit
The boy's uncle was apparently told shortly before the halftime skit that the PlayStation 5 would be taken back. This gave him very little time to inform his nephew of what was actually going to happen to his Christmas gift, The Guardian said.
Alexei Phillips said that everyone in the stadium thought his nephew was going to keep the console, including cheerleaders, dancers, and everyone else. He said that they probably thought it was a joke until it actually wasn't.
The Charlotte Hornets issued an apology later on, saying that the on-court skit "missed the mark." It added that the situation was a result of bad decision-making and poor communication with the people involved.
The team said that they have turned the ball over and apologized to the people affected, adding that the young boy will be given a PlayStation 5 console he can actually keep, along with a VIP experience to a future game, according to the Times of India.
