Social media is teeing off on the Charlotte Hornets for an awfully cruel PR stunt involving a young fan during their home game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
The Charlotte Hornets hosted the struggling 76ers at the Spectrum Center, hoping to build momentum after a disastrous 8-17 start. But it wasn’t to be, as Tyrese Maxey’s 40 points led the visitors to a 121-108 victory.
If losing wasn’t bad enough for Charlotte fans? Well, how about the franchise further embarrassing themselves with a cruel PR stunt to upset a young fan during a commercial break?
A fan in attendance posted a video of a young Charlotte Hornets fan meeting with Hugo, the team mascot, on the court. The fan was presented with the ultimate dream gift of a PlayStation 5 console.
Or so we thought.
According to the fan who shared the video, the PS5 was taken away from the kid once the cameras went off. The Hornets instead presented the fan with a team jersey:
You guys want to see a cheap sports organization?
— USMNT_STAN (@StanUsmnt) December 17, 2024
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
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“Bro what?! That’s shameful,” a fan wrote.
“A billion dollar franchise can’t give a ps5 to a kid for Christmas. Absolutely shameful,” another said.
“So they can afford to pay Taj Gibson $3 million dollars for a bucket a game and 3 boards but not $500 to have a fan for life. Poverty franchise,” quipped a fan.
“Hornets season ticket holder here as well. Those that know me know I’m very outspoken so I will be asking every Hornets staff member about this at the 12/23 game. I’m hoping they are mailing it to this kid sometimes with giveaways they mail it as they have players autograph it,” one fan wrote.
Also Read: VIDEO: Tyrese Maxey Praises ‘Resilient’ Paul George After The Philadelphia 76ers Duo Shine In Win Over Charlotte Hornets
Hornets season ticket holder here as well. Those that know me know I’m very outspoken so I will be asking every Hornets staff member about this at the 12/23 game. I’m hoping they are mailing it to this kid sometimes with giveaways they mail it as they have players autograph it.
— Legendary Self-Made Progress THA GREAT 🏁 (@1EntreProNegro) December 17, 2024
“Why couldn’t they just let him keep the PS5 not like it’s going to hurt them financially,” asked another.
“That’s despicable!,” a fan wrote
“Hornets have always been and will always be a poverty franchise,” quipped another.
“This why we keep losing games. @HornetsPR y’all better get that kid his ps5 and some swag for his trouble,” a fan said.
This why we keep losing games. @HornetsPR y’all better get that kid his ps5 and some swag for his trouble.
— Pj hartleb (@pj_hartleb) December 17, 2024
Charlotte Hornets Should Be Ashamed
An NBA franchise worth over $1 billion cannot simply be generous enough to give a fan a PlayStation 5. With all the money they make in jersey sales, ticket purchases and food/beverages, the Hornets could have handed out multiple consoles to lucky fans.
But they couldn’t even stick to their on-screen promise of giving this kid the gift of a lifetime. They just keep finding new ways to embarrass themselves.
