Kings Fan Ejected After Forceful Chest Pass to Referee: Wife Says It Was Muscle Memory and He Meant No Harm
A courtside Sacramento Kings fan was ejected from the arena after returning an out-of-bounds ball to a referee with a forceful chest pass, in a moment that went viral on social media. On November 7, his wife Kellie DeMarco, a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist who spent nearly 20 years in television news in Sacramento, posted on Instagram in his defense: he played basketball for years, the pass was chest-pass muscle memory, he meant no harm, and he has nothing but respect for the officials.
The incident happened on the night of November 4 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, where the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Kings 116-103. With 2:35 left in the third quarter, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt blocked a shot by Kings guard Malik Monk, and the ball went out of bounds into the lap of the fan seated in the front row near the baseline. Multiple outlets identified the fan as Duncan DeMarco, a former college basketball player. He picked up the ball and chest-passed it toward referee Chelisa Painter with too much force, while the official was not prepared to receive it.
Lakers star Luka Doncic, standing nearby, confronted the fan on the spot. Doncic said afterward: 'He just tossed it really strong, the ball, toward the ref. I just asked him what the hell he is doing.' Arena security escorted the fan from his seat and out of the arena, while his wife remained courtside. Video of the exchange spread across social platforms and split fans: some called the ejection excessive, while others said courtside spectators should not return a ball that way.
Kellie DeMarco posted a courtside photo of the couple captioned 'When date night goes viral.' She wrote: 'Yes, this is my sweet husband, and yes, he is the guy who got ejected from an NBA game. I spent nearly 20 years in TV news, and he is getting more airtime than me. He played basketball for years, and apparently the chest pass muscle memory never left. He meant no harm, he feels terrible that it came across the wrong way, and he has nothing but respect for the officials.' She thanked people for their kind messages, said the couple loves the Kings and the Sacramento community, and joked: 'And no, he is not Steve Kerr, I have read the comments.'
SB Nation columnist Ricky O'Donnell wrote that the force of the pass alone cannot establish intent, and whether the ejection was warranted remains debated. As of publication, there were no public reports of further league discipline over the incident.
Source: Kellie DeMarco on Instagram
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：卢卡·东契奇比赛资料图（Erik Drost摄，CC BY 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons），非本次比赛画面。/ File photo: Luka Doncic in game action (by Erik Drost, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons); not a photo from this game.
