Buffalo Wild Wings faces backlash from Blake Griffin, others for offer to fan that stormed NBA Finals court
· Yahoo Sports
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One of the most interesting storylines to come from Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals had nothing to do with the basketball.
After a young fan ran on to the court during the matchup between the Spurs and Knicks in San Antonio, attempting to get a selfie with Victor Wembanyama, the NBA announced it had banned that fan, and another unknown individual, from games for life.
As the controversy with the banned fan lingered into Thursday, however, one nation-wide sports bar offered some refuge to the anonymous court-stormer: Buffalo Wild Wings.
Here's why Blake Griffin was among the notable fans to criticize Buffalo Wild Wings' response to the NBA's banned court-stormer.
MORE: Everything known about the fan who stormed the court in NBA Finals Game 1
What did Buffalo Wild Wings offer fan that stormed NBA Finals court?
On Thursday afternoon, the official Buffalo Wild Wings account, with nearly 600,000 followers on X, quoted a tweet that said that the Game 1 had been banned from all NBA events, although the quoted tweet showed the incorrect fan posing with Wembanyama.
Rather than discourage the banned fan's behavior, "B-Dubs" had a different message, appearing to offer some free wings and more.
"internet, help us find the banned fan," the account posted. "he can watch the rest of the finals at B-Dubs on us."
internet, help us find the banned fan. he can watch the rest of the finals at B-Dubs on us. https://t.co/wMX61PRm7F
— Buffalo Wild Wings (@BWWings) June 4, 2026
MORE: Why NBA is investigating Jalen Brunson-fan incident
What did Blake Griffin say about Buffalo Wild Wings tweet?
The Buffalo Wild Wings tweet went viral, with most fans criticizing the company for somewhat endorsing the fan's errant run onto the Game 1 court.
The most notable of those critics was former NBA All-Star and now-Amazon Prime analyst Blake Griffin, who simply said "This ain't it" and signaled that he preferred a different wings company, WingStop.
This ain’t it. @wingstop would never #notapaidposthttps://t.co/PVT2NJUgMl
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) June 4, 2026
Other reactions to Buffalo Wild Wings tweet
Most of the reactions to Buffalo Wild Wings' apparent invitation to provide a free meal to the banned fan were negative.
Many fans suggested that such disruptive and criminal behavior shouldn't be endorsed by a significant brand.
Holy L. Why would we reward this guy?
— Drewtamu (@Drewtamu) June 4, 2026
Probably shouldn’t be encouraging others to do something like this…
— 🅿️at (@patback94) June 4, 2026
Who was fan that stormed NBA Finals court?
The official identity of the fan who ran onto the court in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals remains unknown. According to TMZ, the fan is a juvenile, so his identity can't be revealed without his permission.
However, the NBA announced that both that individual and another were banned for life without publicizing their identities — and reports also indicated that the court-storming fan was arrested on two charges: Disrupting Meeting or Procession and one charge Criminal Trespassing.