Christmas did come a little early for the Hornets. Even though the franchise experienced a second straight loss, they saw LaMelo Ball, their star performer, make his return to the floor. It didn’t matter against a rejuvenated Philadelphia 76ers team. But still, the organization felt the Christmas spirit. At halftime, they took on the mission of being Santa to one kid, gifting him a brand new PlayStation 5. But the gift was only limited to the arena.

According to a social media post, the Hornets took away the PS5 they gifted and exchanged it for a jersey. The exchange “moved at least one child to tears“ as per a report. In the text exchange uploaded, the mother mentioned that the franchise had given a prior warning. However, the kids had no clue, and the scenario itself was haywire.

Anyway, the Hornets realized part of their mistake; it seems. The franchise released a statement about the incident stating “We turned the ball over and we apologize”. The franchise also mentioned they would let the kid keep the PS5, and also award the family with VIP tickets for a future Hornets game.

Unfortunately, the damage seems to have been done.

NBA fans burn the Hornets for their conduct

The Hornets took accountability for the situation, even making amends. What they had planned as a skit didn’t deliver on its expectations and adequate compensation was guaranteed. But fans noticed the pattern of behavior to be degrading. “Absolutely disgusting. only apologized because they got caught,“ one tweet read.

In some ways, that could be a true notion. Without social media spreading the story, there wouldn’t have been such acute attention to the matter. Furthermore, Charlotte wouldn’t feel they had done something wrong. However, to give them the benefit of the doubt, at least the franchise made repairs.

Others judged the organization for their state. Notably, Michael Jordan, an iconic name, sold his majority stake in the franchise for $3 billion last season. Since then though, fans aren’t particularly fond of the franchise. And after this incident, those sentiments have grown stronger. A fan even said “Broke franchise lmao“.

The Hornets, still young, haven’t found their true colors. With a 7-19 record, they are among the worst teams in the league at the moment. However, they do boast a young and enticing duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, who are changing the narrative around the franchise slowly.

While most put them in the line of fire, some fans were just happy with the way the Charlotte Hornets decided to negotiate the situation. They didn’t deny the situation and even made amends. In that regard, a fan wrote “I mean atleast they made it up to em”.

Although it doesn’t justify what the Charlotte Hornets did, the added gesture of providing VIP tickets does ease the blow. It was also followed by an encouraging message that said, “Our goal is and will remain to elevate the guest experience for every person that enters the Spectrum Center, and to show our fans how much we appreciate their relentless support”.

Still, it’s going to be hard for the Charlotte Hornets to not only recover but also get away from the situation anytime soon. The Spectrum Center could have chants against their own team that might affect the morale of the team. Hence, one fan has a wish. “Please get Melo away from this poverty franchise and get rid of them once and for all“.

Ball, who made his return from injury on the night against the 76ers, is the breakout star that is largely the reason the Hornets have become an exciting team to watch. Averaging 31.1 points, a career-high, LaMelo Ball is on the trajectory to possibly be named an All-Star this season. Likewise, his fans not only want the 23-year-old to be on a competing franchise but also stay away from such negativity.

What do you make of this situation? Let us know your views in the comments below.