Hornets Sorry After Giving Child PS5, Taking It Away Off-Camera in Baffling Skit

Charlotte quickly went from Santa Claus to Grinch.

Hugo the Hornet before the Hornets' 112–107 loss to the Pelicans on Dec. 15, 2023. / Nell Redmond-Imagn Images

In the NBA, in-arena entertainment is supposed to be anodyne—the kind of thing to which you say "Oh, that's nice" and then forget immediately after.

On Monday, it appears the Charlotte Hornets violated this tenet. During their 121–108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, they reportedly gave a PS5 to a child in a skit—only to take it away off-camera.

That's per a social media user, @StanUsmnt, who posted a video showing Hugo the Hornet gifting his friend's nephew a video-game system. On Tuesday, the Hornets apologized for the skit—which reportedly moved at least one child to tears.

"During last night's game there was an on-court skit that missed the mark. The skit included bad decision making and poor communication. Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize," Charlotte said via Nick Carboni of WCNC-TV in Charlotte. "We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making it right but to exceeding expectations. We will be providing the fan with the PS5 that he should have taken home last night along with a VIP experience to a future game."

You guys want to see a cheap sports organization?

In this video my best friend&his nephew get called onto court for a special segment where they gift the kid a PS5 publicly… w/cameras off they TOOK IT AWAY and gave him a jersey.

😂 Take a bow @hornets… crushed the kid pic.twitter.com/mcj5hhsuM5

— USMNT_STAN (@StanUsmnt) December 17, 2024

Statement from #Hornets on last night’s promotion.

They’re giving the kid a PS5 and VIP experience for future game. @wcnc pic.twitter.com/rbGW4sAIKB

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) December 17, 2024

The Hornets won widespread criticism for the fiasco, which overshadowed a loss that sent them to 7–19 on the season.

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