Talk about an intentional violation.
A young Charlotte Hornets fan thought he was receiving a Christmas wish when he was gifted a coveted PlayStation 5 in front of a raucous crowd during Monday night’s game, but was crushed when the team took the video game console from him moments later backstage.
Alexei Phillips told Queen City News, a local news station, that he took his 13-year-old nephew to see the Hornets play the Philadelphia 76ers. At the start of the game, a member of the Hornets staff approached them and asked if they wanted to stand on the field with the team mascot, Hugo, he said.
“Someone from their fan team contacted us and said, ‘Hey, do you want to be on the field with Hugo?’ And we said sure,” he told the station.
A video on social media shows Phillips and his cousin standing next to Hugo on the field, wearing a Santa Claus costume. An announcer then reads what appears to be a Christmas letter.
“I have another letter here. It says: ‘Dear Santa Hugo, I have been working hard at school all year… I have also been working on my jump shot, but my jump shot in [NBA] 2K needs some work. I really want a PlayStation if you have one, PS a PlayStation 5.”
It’s unclear if Phillips’ cousin wrote the letter, but a Hornets dancer walks onto the field carrying a large gift bag containing a PS5. The teenager is visibly excited when Hugo hands him the gift.
“Happy holidays, buddy,” the announcer says.
According to Phillips, the holiday feeling ended the moment they walked backstage. A Hornets employee came and quickly took the PS5.
“It got pretty awkward,” he told the news station. “Because [the staffer] had to make it clear he wasn’t joking.”
Phillips told the news station that just before he went onto the field with his cousin, the staffer whispered to him that the teen would not be able to keep the gift and would receive a jersey instead.
The Hornets later described the incident as an “on-field skit that missed the mark.” The team contacted Phillips and his cousin’s parents and offered the teen a PS5, as well as a VIP experience for another game.
“The skit involved poor decision-making and poor communication,” the team said in a statement to the press. “Simply put, we have turned the tables and apologized. We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making amends, but to exceeding expectations. … Our goal is and remains to guest experience for everyone who enters Spectrum Center, and to show our fans how much we appreciate their continued support.”
Phillips said there are no hard feelings toward the team.
“The funny thing is, if he had just gone out and they had just given him a jersey right there on the field, he would have been excited,” he told the station.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
