E-40 has received a huge ovation at Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings playoffs series, almost a week after the Bay Area rapper was ejected from Game 1.
The heartwarming moment went down at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Thursday night (April 20), where Golden State edged out a 114-97 victory against the Kings, who still lead the series 2-1.
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Footage from inside the arena showed the home crowd rising to their feet and cheering as E-40 was broadcast on the jumbotron. The In a Major Way MC reciprocated the love by patting his chest and saluting.
Fellow Bay Area rap legend Mistah F.A.B. also received a warm reception from the crowd before tip-off.
E-40’s ovation comes after he was tossed out of Golden 1 Center in Sacramento during the opening game of the first-round playoffs series on Saturday (April 15).
An anonymous fan told The Mercury News that a white woman had asked the rapper to “repeatedly” sit down, and he ultimately snapped and began exchanging words with her.
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A viral video showed E-40 barking at and almost getting into a scuffle with the Kings’ security before he was escorted out of the building by a member of the Warriors security team, with injured Warriors forward Andre Iguodala tailing behind him.
40 Water continued to angrily shout expletives in the direction of security as he made his way off the court and down the tunnel.
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The 55-year-old issued a statement after the incident, claiming that racial bias was at play.
“Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent,” he wrote. “Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault.
“I’m truly grateful for my fans and supporters who have reached out to express their concern and disappointment regarding these disheartening circumstances and I hope those involved are held accountable for their behavior.”
He continued: “I’ve attended countless NBA games throughout my lifetime and have always prided myself in my professionalism, so this experience has been jarring. I was absolutely humiliated by the Kings’ security team and I’m calling on the franchise to investigate the appalling conduct that transpired.”
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A few days later, E-40 and the Kings organization released a joint statement, and said what transpired was merely a “misunderstanding.”
“After a series of thoughtful and transparent conversations, both parties agree that there was a miscommunication regarding the circumstances that occurred during the Kings vs. Warriors game on Saturday night,” the statement read. “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.”
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E-40 also dropped off a new single and video titled “Front Row 40″ earlier this week, which found him boasting about his front-row presence at Golden State Warriors games.
In the video, 40 compared himself to sports superfans like Spike Lee, and also intersperses montage clips of him relaxing with other rap superstars including JAY-Z, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Too $hort and 2 Chainz.
The song will appear on E-40’s upcoming album and follows the rapper’s previous single “Bands” which arrived in March.
