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Hip-hop star E-40 attributed his ejection from the arena where Saturday’s NBA playoff game between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors was played to “racial bias.”
The rapper, who is from the San Francisco Bay Area, says he addressed a heckler in “an assertive but polite manner” toward the end of Game 1 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“Kings security approached me, assumed I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena,” E-40 said in a statement Sunday, according to ESPN.
“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.”
E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, is known for hit songs such as “Tell Me When to Go” and “U And Dat.” The 55-year-old rapper, who is a Warriors fan, says he received “disrespectful heckling” throughout the game.
The Kings said Sunday they are “investigating the facts and circumstances regarding the situation, as we do anytime an accusation like this is made.”
Sacramento won Saturday’s first-round game, 126-123, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Kings star DeAaron Fox scored 38 points to lead all players.
Game 2 will also take place in Sacramento on Monday night before the Warriors host Game 3 on Thursday. The Kings ended a 17-year playoff drought this season and are the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors, who won the NBA Championship last year, are the No. 6 seed.
