Kings, E-40 say "miscommunication" led to rapper's Game 1 ejection in joint statement
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings and Bay Area hip-hop icon E-40 released a joint statement Wednesday agreeing there was a miscommunication that led to the rapper's ejection from the Kings-Warriors Game 1 matchup at the Golden 1 Center.
E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, was accused of excessive standing, blocking the view of the game of the fans seated behind him. The rapper claimed he was heckled throughout the game before he eventually addressed one of the hecklers. Security guards soon came and escorted him out of the arena.
The incident sparked an investigation by the Kings into why E-40 was told to leave the arena. The rapper initially claimed it was "racial bias" that led to his, and only his, exit until he and the team came to an agreement in Wednesday's statement.
E-40 is a self-proclaimed Warriors fan and was not in the building for Game 2 in Sacramento, though the Kings said he is welcome back for future games.
Read the full statement below.
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.
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 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 organization has been a longtime leader in promoting social justice and racial equality with a track record of measurable results and community impacts.
Mr. Stevens has previously attended games at Golden 1 Center without incident, and the Kings look forward to welcoming him back to our arena in the future.
The incident is just one of many that has heated things up between the Kings and Warriors during their first-round series.
During pregame warmups ahead of Monday's Game 2, the Warriors were playing songs from the Bay Area rapper while they were on the court, dancing and singing along to the lyrics. During the game, the Kings trolled the Warriors right back, with the arena staff playing a single lyric — "Nope" — from the song "Choices" by E-40 whenever a Sacramento player blocked the shot of a Golden State player.
There has also been on-court drama with Golden State's Draymond Green being suspended from what is a crucial game 3 for the team for stomping on the chest of Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis, who suffered a bruised sternum from the stomp, received a technical foul for grabbing Green's foot moments before it happened.
While officials were reviewing the play, green opted to rile up Kings fans sitting behind the Warriors' bench by shouting at them and calling them names as fans did the same right back to him. In attendance, witnessing the entire thing, was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Despite the Kings taking a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Warriors, it has been a very physical, back-and-forth series so far. The next two games — Thursday and Sunday — take place at the Chase Center.
