Prayers Go Up for Hawks Fan After Severe Medical Emergency as Concerning Visuals Emerge vs Blazers

During every NBA game, some lucky fans get a chance to participate in fun contests for a shot at a prize. Sometimes it’s a hefty cheque, sometimes a car, and sometimes even a small gift card—but it always makes for entertaining television. But for one unlucky fan during tonight’s Hawks vs Blazers clash, his once-in-a-lifetime moment turned tragic within seconds.

While the players got some rest, the Hawks arena conducted a tic-tac-toe event during the break. All the participants had to do was make a layup and complete the game. Unfortunately, one of the fans lost his footing during the shot attempt and hit the deck hard—back first. In a scary sight, he immediately grabbed his left knee and looked in immense agony. There is a high chance the fan might have torn his ACL from the nasty fall.

Sure enough, the crowd’s excitement immediately turned to concern as the Hawks staff had to bring out a stretcher to carry the injured fan off the court. Well, this is not the first time a fan has suffered a brutal injury during an in-game contest.

Last season, something similar happened in the Crypto.com arena. A Lakers fan named Anthony was selected to hit a half-court shot for the Big Shot Jackpot worth $55,000. When asked if he was ready, he seemed confident, “This is what I do.” However, not only did he brick the shot, Anthony also injured his foot during the attempt.

Making an extremely awkward landing, the fan limped to the sidelines, favoring his back, and fell to the floor holding his left foot. Even when the announcer tried to help him up, he was in immense pain and could not walk. Anthony was helped off the court as many feared he might have torn his Achilles. Well, these incidents are rare, but whenever they happen, the hoop community is left heartbroken.

NBA World “sorry” for injured fan as they urge Hawks organization to “pay” him anyway

Soon after the video went viral, the internet was flooded with prayers for the injured Hawks fan with comments like “Nah he ain’t deserve this man” and “So unlucky, sorry for him.” Of course, if his ACL is really torn, the recovery will take months. Adding insult to injury, the video of him taking the nasty fall is now on the internet forever.

One netizen pointed it out, “Poor James. My guy is going to be sent that video by his family and friends for the rest of his days. Hope the knee heals.”

Meanwhile, the timing of the incident was controversial as many fans were left wondering if it was just an April Fool’s prank by the Hawks: “Gotta be April Fools right?” If that were true, they would have done the big reveal soon after. But the incident seems as real as it gets because there is no indication of a prank yet.

Considering what the fan had to go through, many netizens urged the Hawks to give him the prize money anyway: “They should still pay bro lmao.”

While that won’t heal the injury any sooner, it will be some consolation for the terrible night he had. Thoughts?