qagc stray ball to referee Chelisa Painter. It all went down on Wednesday, November 4, when a Kings fan named Duncan was sitting courtside as the team took on the Los Angeles Lakers in Sacramento.
When the ball bounced out of bounds towards Duncan, he grabbed in an quickly threw a chest-pass towards the ref. The ref didn’t look completely ready to accept it, but she was not hit or injured by the ball. She swatted it down with one hand before executing a few dribbles with the other.
The ref didn’t seem to show signs of being bothered until Doncic angrily confronted the fan. She at first looked confused, before going to speak to the head official. The fan, who was seated with his wife, broadcast journalist Kellie DeMarco, was then approached by officials and escorted out of the stadium.
Fans Are Debating Whether or Not King Fans Passed the Ball to the Ref With Ill Intent
Fans are debating across social media whether or not the fan deserved to get booted from his courtside seat and kicked out of the arena for his actions. On Bleacher Report‘s Instagram post of the moment, the top comment, with over 3,00 upvotes, reads “I don’t think the guy did anything wrong.”
Another agreed, “Brah son was just passing the ball to the ref.”
Another commenter asked pointed out it was hard to tell whether the pass meant as an insult, or a simple return. Someone else agreed it’s difficult to “gauge intention” when watching the interaction.
Other pointed out that the pass was “zippy,” but didn’t look malicious, and suggested maybe the fan wasn’t expecting to come in contact with the ball and “panicked.”
Others pointed out how tragic it must feel to be kicked out after scoring a courtside seat.
Luka Dončić Explains the Moment He Scolded the Fan for Passing the Ball
When asked in the post-game presser what happened, explaining he felt the fan had tossed the pass with too much force. “Yeah he just tossed, really strong, the ball towards the ref. So I was just asking what – what the hell is he doing.”
Some fans on social questioned whether he was trying to curry favor with the ref with his dramatic reaction, while others praised the move as chivalrous.
The Fan’s Wife Insists He Meant No Harm
Former Sacramento news anchor Kellie DeMarco, the fan’s wife, took to Instagram to defend him. She good-naturedly captioned her post “when date night goes viral” before introducing the ejected fan as “my sweet husband” and joking about how he’s getting “more airtime than me” despite her decades-long broadcast career.
She then explained, “He played basketball for years, and apparently the chest pass muscle memory never left. He meant no harm, he feels terrible that it came across the wrong way, and he has nothing but respect for the officials.”
She revealed she’s received a lot of kind messages, which she expressed thanks for, before finishing with, “Thank you for all the kind messages. We love the Kings and this community. 💜”
Luka Dončić Sparks Debate by Appearing to Urge Ref to Eject a Fan for Passing Her a Stray Ball