The Charlotte Hornets had to issue an apology after leaving a young fan disappointed.
The incident took place during Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, when Hugo, the team’s mascot dressed as Santa Claus, and invited a 13-year-old fan onto the court. The boy had written a letter to Santa asking for a PlayStation 5, and the crowd cheered as a cheerleader presented the console to him. However, the excitement quickly turned to confusion when, after the cameras stopped rolling, and a Hornets staff member took the PS5 away and handed the boy a jersey instead.
Witnesses posted the moment on social media, and revealed that the boy, his family, and even team performers were shocked by the event. Alexei Phillips, the boy’s uncle, explained that the family had been approached by the team earlier in the game to participate in the promotion, and was informed before the skit that the PS5 would not be going home with the boy. That crucial detail was not shared with his nephew,
“Everyone thought he was keeping it — cheerleaders, dancers, everyone,” Phillips said. “When they took it away, people assumed it was a joke. Then they realized it wasn’t.”
The incident went viral, garnering over 3.4 million views and fans criticized the Hornets for what they saw as a misleading and “Grinch-like” gesture. In response, the Hornets issued a public apology, acknowledging the mistake.
"During last night’s game, there was an on-court skit that missed the mark," the team said in a statement. “The skit included bad decision making and poor communication. Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize.”
The team gave the boy the PS5 he was promised, along with a VIP experience at a future game,
“There are no hard feelings,” Phillips said. “But this could’ve been avoided if they’d just given him the jersey on the court in the first place. He would’ve been thrilled.”
The Hornets lost the game 121-108, falling to a 7-19 record on the season.
Can someone say karma?