Sacramento Kings welcome rapper E-40 back after 'miscommunication' led to ejection
The Sacramento Kings said they're looking forward to welcoming back rapper E-40 to Golden 1 Center after an "unfortunate misunderstanding" led to the rapper's ejection from Game 1 of the team's first-round series against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
"After a series of thoughtful and transparent conversations, both parties agree that there was a miscommunication regarding the circumstances that occurred during the Kings vs. Warriors game on Saturday night," the Kings and E-40 said in a joint statement Wednesday.
Video of the ejection shows E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, talking to security officials before leaving his courtside seat in the fourth quarter of the Kings' 126-123 win over the Warriors in Game 1. Stevens said the incident was the result of "racial bias."
According to the statement, however, it appears Stevens was initially ejected over claims of excessive standing, which an investigation proved to be inaccurate.
"Contrary to speculation, Mr. Earl 'E-40' Stevens did not stand excessively from his ticketed courtside seat; the outcome resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding between both parties," the statement reads.
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On Sunday, the rapper called for the Kings to open an investigation into his ejection. He said he was "subjected to disrespectful heckling" throughout the game. When he finally turned around to address the comments, he said Kings security officials "approached me, assumed I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena."
E-40 is an avid Warriors fan who has courtside seats beside the Warriors bench at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Bay area rapper has "previously attended games at Golden 1 Center without incident," the statement said on Wednesday.
"The Kings will continue to equitably enforce the NBA Fan Code of Conduct to ensure guests can comfortably enjoy games free of disrespectful heckling and other disruptive conduct," the statement concluded. "The organization has been a longtime leader in promoting social justice and racial equality with a track record of measurable results and community impacts… The Kings look forward to welcoming him back to our arena in the future.”
Contributing: Steve Gardner, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sacramento Kings welcome E-40 back after Game 1 playoff ejection
