The Washington Wizards apologized on Thursday after an April Fools’ Day in-game promotion during their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers prompted criticism on social media.
During Wednesday night’s game at Capital One Arena, a fan was brought on to the court for a blindfolded half-court shot promoted as being worth $10,000. The shot missed, but arena staff and performers reacted as if it had gone in and briefly presented the fan with a ceremonial check as part of what later was revealed to a scripted skit.
Video of the sequence circulated online and led to questions about whether the fan had been misled.
The Wizards said in a statement that the segment was pre-planned and that all participants were aware of the joke.
“We apologize for last night’s April Fools’ joke that left many wondering if we had misled a fan,” the team said Thursday in a statement posted to X. “The skit involving our mascot and other members of our performance team was scripted and intended to celebrate the day. All participants were in on the joke, but we missed the mark.”
The team added that it remains “committed to providing a positive experience to all who attend our games”.
Washington lost the game 153-131 and are 17-59 this season, dead last in the Eastern Conference.
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