Distracted Fan Catches Deflected Ball in the Face at Charlotte Hornets Game

Did you watch the Charlotte Hornets play the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night?

Kemba Walker finally returned after sitting out 18 games due to knee surgery. DeMarcus Cousins posted his 39th double-double of the season and made rims cringe in the process.

And a fan got smoked in the face with a basketball—which is an unfortunate sequence that will endure in your mind forever. 

The incident occurred in the second quarter when a Lance Stephenson pass was tipped by a Kings player and zipped through the hands of Hornets guard Gerald Henderson, flying into the stands behind the Charlotte bench.

As mentioned, the ball found a target: a woman sitting in the first row, distracted by the phone of the fan sitting next to her. 

Twitter user @SawyerReel uploaded a Vine of the incident. Everyone had eyes on the incoming missile except the person who needed them most.

Now, this incident was both a comedy of errors and a reminder of the universe’s cruel whimsy.

The comedic angle rests in the fact that the man sitting next to this woman could’ve stopped all of this. He saw the ball approaching, extended a hand (the wrong hand) and came up short. As a cherry on top, he gave the woman a “Why would you let this happen to you?” look after it smashed into her septum. 

Why did this man reach with his far limb? Is that his strong hand? Does the other not work? Oh…it was because he had a phone in the hand closest to ball.

As is the callous nature of the universe, note that the fan hit with the ball was the only one not compulsively gripping a phone during the game. For all we know, the victim could’ve been watching every moment intently until that mobile device was shoved into her face. Look! Made it to the Gumdrop Forest! That’s why you always buy the Lollipop Hammer!

Fortunately, the woman was not seriously injured. 

ESPN.com reports the fan suffered a bloody nose but stuck around for the remainder of the game. She seemed more embarrassed by the incident than anything else.

Put some ice on it, friend. And rest easy knowing your pain is a wake-up call to a world of tech junkies.

If you’re sitting close to the action, slip that phone in your pocket. The Instagram thirsting can wait.

Dan is on Twitter. He would like to sit close enough to get hit in the face.