Cameras Caught NC State Player Flipping Ref Double Birds, and Fans Had Jokes

This was relatable.
Cameras Caught NC State Player Flipping Ref Double Birds, and Fans Had Jokes
Cameras Caught NC State Player Flipping Ref Double Birds, and Fans Had Jokes /

NC State men’s basketball player showed his displeasure with the referees in a hilarious way Tuesday night.

Wolfpack guard DJ Horne used a trip to the free throw line in the closing seconds of an 83–76 win over Wake Forest to flip both middle fingers at a referee. The move came after at the conclusion of a controversially-officiated game that included NC State head coach Kevin Keatts getting ejected and several technical fouls issued in the the final minute. So Horne, while waiting to receive the ball, flipped the referee double birds while the official had his back turned, then quickly pulled them away before he could be seen.

Unfortunately for Horne, the cameras caught him red-handed, producing an absolutely hilarious video.

Horne attributed the incident postgame to his emotions getting out of hand. He later issued an apology on social media, saying “My sincere apologies for what happened at the end of the game. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a disrespectful gesture that I should have never done. That’s not who I am!”

While perhaps not the classiest way to close out a win, the moment was still extremely funny. Here’s some of the best reactions from fans who noticed Horne’s late-game disrespect:


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Kevin Sweeney
KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.