Kevin Durant, James Harden offer Lil Wayne tickets, but the rapper stays mad at the Thunder and Oklahoma City
Lil Wayne (AP file)
Oklahoma City Thunder fans shouldn’t expect to see Lil Wayne in the stands during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
On Thursday, the rapper created a Twitter tempest when he posted @LilTunechi “Was going to go to the Thunder game tonight but was denied by the team to be in their arena. Wow. Smh. Go Spurs!”
The Oklahoman’s John Rohde reports that Thunder spokesman Dan Mahoney said Lil Wayne’s representatives did contact the team requesting tickets to Thursday’s game, but insisted the rapper sit on the front row. None of those seats were available.
Oklahoma City has sold out every home game during the regular season and playoffs, plus the last 14 games last season.
“We’d love to have him at a game,” Mahoney said, “but like anyone else, he needs a ticket.”
According to ESPN.com, Lil Wayne wrote in a text message to ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez, “They denied me the tix. Didnt want me in their arena. They also said if I do come, I can only sit behind the bench, not on the floor & that I wouldn’t be able to get any special escort nor entrance. They said its the ‘Oklahoma way’.”
On Friday, Kevin Durant and James Harden, two of the Thunder’s brightest stars, reached out to Lil Wayne to offer front-row tickets to Game 4.
According Rohde, Durant said he has two extra front-row seats he is willing to share to bring celebrity status to Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 4, with tips off at 7:30 tonight.
Harden reached out on Twitter, posting @JHarden13, “@LilTunechi Come to the Next game. We got seats for u 5! Whooppp!”
But the Grammy-winning rapper told the Associated Press in an interview Friday night that he doesn’t plan to take the players up on their offer because he now feels “unwanted” at the OKC arena.
“That’s not the point, though,” he told the AP of the ticket offers from Harden and KD. “It’s the players stepping up but of course the players aren’t white. I don’t want to be sitting there on behalf of you and I’m sitting next to a (person) that’s like `I don’t want this (guy) sitting next to me.’ (Forget) you … I’m in Forbes,” he said, laughing.
While he said he felt welcomed in other NBA venues like Miami, he told the AP that when it comes to Oklahoma, “the players want me there, I don’t want to feel — I’m going to still feel unwanted.”
Lil Wayne told the AP a manager had advised him not to return to the city’s arena for sports events or concerts, but “I never say never.”
At least one celebrity with Oklahoma ties had some insight for Lil Wayne on the situation. OKC native and New England Patriots football star Wes Welker tweeted Friday @WesWelker, “@LilTunechi this ain’t LA bro. Everyone buys a ticket in the Real OC!”
With its 102-82 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday’s Game 3, the Thunder now trails 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals and will try to even up the series tonight. The game airs on TNT.
Thunder up!
-BAM
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Comments
stop whinning little wayne.be a real person and say to ur self i miss out on a dam good game.want a bottle with skim milk.lil wayne n sane.peace
Okc is a racist and bias city, funny how your white celebrities can get floor seats without paying for them, but a black cannot. @ Wes Welker..Shut up.
@ Harden and Durant, watch Okc jerk you it’s only a matter of time…racism is the okc way!
haha lil wayne is being so petty…just wants attention i guess. okc a racist? yea…please come up with a more clever excuse…this one just makes u seem dumb.
Lil Wayne should stop crying like a b*tch get a ticket. Kevin Durant off the court is an idiot how about offering front row tickets to the game to the men who serve our country.
sooooo glad OKC stuck to their guns (and morals)…no ticket, no seat…same rules should apply to everyone. also, this is definitely not a race issue (and i’m AA)…maybe he should have thought how he would be received looking the way he does…not against tats at all, but really, who needs that many…..i’m just sayin! Yo Wayne…you are in the Bible belt and ultra-conservative territory….just know ur surroundings next time u start making demands!
I have little sympathy for anyone who can post a tweet and get courtside WCF tix. His fault he waited till the day of. Racist? Please…
He said it himself, he’s in “Forbes”.
Surely, a wealthy, high-profile person such as yourself could buy a ticket, and in advance, not the day before, or the day of the game. And this isn’t about race. Why would our State support a mostly black team, but not host your silly self? It’s because you;re silly, stupid.
Why is it that anytime a high profile minority of any kind doesn’t get their spoiled way, it’s racism? I don’t think anyone at the arena or on the team told Lil Wayne he wasn’t welcome because he was black. I think they turned him away for the same reason they’d turn anyone away that wasn’t a ticket holder. Buy the ticket, get the seat. Don’t see where racism had anything to do with that. It is wrong is to accuse others of racism, hate crimes, defamation, etc. when you don’t get your way. Lil Wayne may be in Forbes, but he needs to read Emily Post.
lil wayne needs to stop cryin bout it. he is making up all that crap. OKC is not racist. if they were they wouldnt have russel westbrook, james harden, kevin durant, kendrick perkins, surge ibaka, and all the other black people on their team. and kevin durant is not retarted. he is a freakin beast. He could school anyone at basketball!
[...] Wayne has refused their offer telling the Associated Press (via NewsOK) that he feels “unwanted” at the OKC venue. “That’s not the point, though,” [...]
[...] Wayne has refused their offer telling the Associated Press (via NewsOK) that he feels “unwanted” at the OKC venue. “That’s not the point, though,” he says of [...]
Lil Wayne’s real reason for being upset is management didn’t know who he was. I have 16,000 songs on my iPod and the next Lil Wayne song I buy will be my first. Get over yourself, Lil Wayne…you ain’t all that!!!
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If Lil Wayne wants to bring racism into this, fine. But what has color got to do with buying a ticket that’s available like the rest of us? Geez! WHY should he be given special treatment just because he is a celebrity? He ain’t all that – he’s human like the rest of us. Get over yourself, Lil Wayne…. wah wah wah.