Bay Area rapper E-40 ejected from Kings-Warriors playoff game

SACRAMENTO -- Legendary Bay Area rapper E-40, a loyal Golden State supporter, was ejected Saturday night from Sacramento's Golden 1 Center after a verbal altercation with fans during Game 1 of the NBA first round Western Conference showdown between the Kings and Warriors.

Emotions ran high all night in the arena during the first playoff meeting ever between the two teams separated by 90 miles. The face off lived up to the hype and delighted the raucous crowd that had been waiting for a post-season game since 2006.

UPDATE: E-40, Kings say 'miscommunication' led to ejection from Warriors-Kings game

During the national television broadcast a smiling E-40 -- the prolific Vallejo-born rapper whose given name is Earl Stevens -- was shown along with other luminaries in the crowd. Home run king Barry Bonds, former Kings Vlade Divac, Bobby Jackson and Jason Williams and even California governor Gavin Newsom were among those present.

ALSO READ: San Francisco cheers on Warriors in Game 1 at Chase Center, celebrate 415 Day

But things apparently got ugly for the hip-hop great as the teams battled in the contest eventually won by the Kings 126-123.

In a statement he released, the rapper claims to have been targeted by heckling that grew more heated as the game unfolded.

"On Saturday night, I was subjected to disrespectful heckling over the course of the Kings-Warriors game in Sacramento. During the fourth quarter I finally turned around and addressed on heckler in an assertive but polite manner. Yet, shortly thereafter, Kings security approached me, assumed that I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena."

"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 I was at fault."

The rapper thanked his fans and others for their support over the incident and called on the Kings organization to investigate the ejection, saying he was "absolutely humiliated."

The Kings said they are investigating the circumstances behind the ejection.

"The Sacramento Kings take these claims seriously and are investigating the facts and circumstances regarding the situation, as we do anytime an accusation like this is made," the team said in a statement.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that E-40 was standing and blocking the view of fans behind him and was given a warning after several complaints. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details of the situation weren't released publicly.

The person said E-40 refused to comply and that security officials for the Warriors and Kings escorted him from his seat.

According to CBS Sports, while the rapper is one of the Warriors most vocal and visible supporters, he has expressed fandom for the nearby Kings as well. "When Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic and all 'em played for the Kings I would go to Kings games, too," he said in a 2017 interview with SLAM's Abe Schwadron.

E-40 is one of the most prominent hip-hop artists to emerge from the Bay Area scene and is credited with introducing "hyphy" -- a long-established style and subculture of East Bay hip hop that grew out of his own "mobb music" in the '90s -- to the world with his Lil Jon-produced track "My Ghetto Report Card" in 2006.

Most recently, the rapper teamed with fellow Bay Area icon Too $hort  and SoCal hip-hop giants Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg as the group Mount Westmore, releasing an album and serving as one of the headliners for last years BottleRock Napa Valley music festival.

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• Golden State Warriors