Fan Dies at Kings vs. Pelicans NBA In-Season Tournament Game

A fan died after having a medical emergency during the Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans game on Monday night at the Golden 1 Center, the Kings announced. According to Fox 40 in Sacramento, the fan was a man in his 30s, and medical services administered CPR for 20 minutes. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

"During the first quarter of the Kings vs. Pelicans game, a guest had a medical emergency," the Kings said in a statement, per CBS Sports. "EMS immediately responded and administered CPR. Tragically, these efforts were unsuccessful and the guest passed away. The organization offers its deepest condolences to the guest's family and loved ones." Fox 40 also said the man was at the game with a family member, for whom a chaplain was called.

Keegan Murray, a forward for the Kings, spoke to reporters after their 127-117 loss and said the team was not "aware" of the situation "at all." He added (per ESPN), "As a team, we give our condolences. Hopefully, the family is being taken care of." The Kings and Pelicans were playing in the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. With the victory, the Pelicans will take on the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns contest on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. 

"The biggest thing I saw in that game was trust," Pelicans coach Willie Green said after the game, per ESPN. "Our guys just stuck together. They stuck together in the huddle, and they continued to make the right play over and over and over again. When you see a team that has 29 assists and only 14 turnovers, that's a team that's continuing to trust. We want to continue to build on that."  

"It sucks, definitely disappointing," Kings guard Kevin Huerter said, "a game like this at home with a chance for us to get some revenge on a team that beat us pretty good at their place and an opportunity to go to Vegas. They had a lot of guys that were out at their place who were effective tonight. We did a good job on Zion, but Ingram had it going all game. Their bench was great — a big reason they came back." The NBA In-Season Tournament is in its inaugural year, and the players from the winning team will receive $500,000 each.