Charlotte Hornets apologize for gifting PlayStation 5 to child - and then taking it away off camera

[sarisataka]

Charlotte Hornets apologize for gifting PlayStation 5 to child – and then taking it away off camera

The Charlotte Hornets have apologized for appearing to gift a PlayStation 5 to a child during an on-court skit, only to later take it back from him off camera.

The incident, which occurred during Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, was captured in a post on X that now has 4.5 million views.

The post shows the Hornets’ mascot, Hugo, dressed as Santa Claus handing the PlayStation 5 to a young fan, who takes the gift with a mixture of shock and delight on his face.

However, the X user – who said the child is his best friend’s nephew – said Hornets staff later took the PlayStation back from the boy off camera and handed him a jersey instead.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/19/sport/charlotte-hornets-apologize-ps5-child-nba-spt-intl/index.html

[Blue_Tires]

1. They're a garbage franchise for a reason

[Solly Mack]

2. That's fucked up.

[Drum]

3. Classy!

[33taw]

4. Who would make a decision like that?

[Happy Hoosier]

6. Seriously! Who would DO that?

I mean damn... how much does a PS5 cost? it's like $500. It's costing them WAY more cleaning up this fuck-up.

[33taw]

11. I know - they make hundreds of millions of dollars and they screwed this up? What a PR fiasco.

They'll probably make a big show of give 20 kids in poverty shopping sprees in their team store. I hate that they always film the kids - just give it to them and don't make a video.

[Dave Bowman]

5. Yeah, they're really a damn Grinch for doing this.

Poor kid.

[Omnipresent]

7. Nothing like using a kid for a publicity stunt...

Perpetrated by a Bunch of scum sucking pigs!

[RANDYWILDMAN]

8. Sounds like the Blazers

well, at least we have a franchise to kinda look down on this week.


Bad Karma for Hornets for a long time...please

[Vinca]

9. Well, that's a shitty thing to do.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

10. Speaking to local outlet Queen City News (QCN), the boy's uncle, Alexei Phillips, said a Hornets staff member whispered

Speaking to local outlet Queen City News (QCN), the boy’s uncle, Alexei Phillips, said a Hornets staff member whispered to him beforehand that the kids were not going to keep the presents they received on the court.

Crucially, this information wasn’t relayed to his 13-year-old nephew, who Phillips said is called Jack.

[Xoan]

12. charlotte cheapskates is more like it.