The PlayStation 5 Pro may be out now, but the PS5 itself remains a popular gift this holiday season. A PS5 was even seemingly given to one young fan attending a Hornets game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this week. The NBA team brought the kid out to the court and pretended to give him a PS5 for Christmas before quickly taking it back after the cameras cut away.
The giveaway was captured on social media by Adam Turner, who shared the video below. Turner also said the Hornets only gave the kid a jersey after taking back the PS5.
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
This caused such an uproar that the Hornets subsequently issued an apology that claimed the giveaway was meant to be an on-court skit. The Hornets went on to say that the team has reached out to the family of the boy to offer him a PS5 and a VIP experience at a future home game.
According to Yahoo Sports, the boy’s uncle was informed ahead of time that he wouldn’t be keeping the PS5, but apparently no one told the child. The story quickly picked up steam nationally and in the local press before the Hornets reversed course. Turner subsequently wrote, “Credit to Hornets for making it right [and] taking immediate action. Owning mistakes is a great thing and often organizations try to cover their tracks.”
Until last year, NBA legend Michael Jordan was the controlling owner of the Hornets before selling the majority of his stake to a new ownership team.