The Sacramento Kings and a Bay Area hip-hop star who alleged “racial bias” for being kicked out of a playoff game said the situation resulted from an “unfortunate misunderstanding.”
The rapper E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, and the team put out a joint statement on Wednesday explaining what led to E-40 being ejected from the Golden 1 Center during Game 1 of a playoff series against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.
“After a series of thoughtful and transparent conversations, both parties agree that there was a miscommunication regarding circumstances that occurred during the Kings vs. Warriors game on Saturday night,” the statement said.
“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 statement highlighted the Kings' history of promoting social justice and racial equality and said that E-40 will be welcomed back to the arena in the future.
E-40 is a prominent Warriors fan and was even part of the delegation that visited the White House earlier this season.
E-40 is known for his collaborations with other artists, including on songs such as “I Don’t (Expletive) With You” with Big Sean, “Snap Yo Fingers” with Lil Jon and Sean Paul of YoungBloodZ, and “U And Dat” with T-Pain and Kandi Girl.
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Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
