Kings, E-40 Cite 'Misunderstanding' as Cause of Removal from Arena in Game 1

The Sacramento Kings and rapper E-40 released a joint statement on Wednesday, saying his ejection from Saturday's Game 1 matchup between the Kings and Golden State Warriors stemmed from a "miscommunication."

E-40 initially said that "racial bias" had led to his removal from the game, which took place at Sacramento's Golden 1 Center on Saturday.

E-40 was seen in videos of the situation talking with security before being escorted from his courtside seats. He said he was "subjected to disrespectful heckling" throughout the game until in the fourth quarter he "turned around and addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner."

Following that interaction, he said, "Kings security approached me, assumed I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena."

He added: "Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that—despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur—racial bias remains prevalent. Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault."

The rapper is a longtime Warriors fan and regularly sits courtside at San Francisco's Chase Center. He even joined the Warriors at the White House this year when they celebrated their 2021-22 title with President Joe Biden.

"It's unfortunate," Warriors guard Klay Thompson told reporters regarding the situation. "I love 40. He's been our biggest supporter for years. I hope they right that ship because he deserves to be there by our bench. In my time knowing him, he's always been respectful. He's always been considerate of those around him. Very weird to see, and I hope it's resolved."

The series between the Kings and Warriors heads to San Francisco for Game 3 on Thursday night at 10 p.m. ET. The Kings hold a 2-0 lead.