Atlanta Hawks Fan Suffers Layup-Spoiling Injury During Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge (UPDATE)

UPDATED 4/3, 7:15 a.m. ET: A spokesperson for the Atlanta Hawks has shared a statement in response to widely shared footage showing a fan suffering an injury during a layup contest at this week’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

When reached for comment, a team rep told Complex that the fan in question was expected to make “a full recovery’ following the incident.

“We have reached out to the season ticket member injured last night while participating in an on-court game during a timeout,” the Hawks rep said in an email. “He is in good spirits and expects a full recovery.”

See original story below.

An Atlanta Hawks fan appeared to sustain an evening-ruining injury in an otherwise innocuous contest against a fellow team enthusiast during Tuesday night’s (ultimately not victorious) Portland Trail Blazers game. Expectedly, the moment became a fervent talking point on X and elsewhere, resulting in the very article you’re reading right now.

If you’ve somehow missed the clip in question, here’s what happened: Two fans willingly participated in a Tic Tac Toe-centered challenge during Tuesday night’s game, with each successful layup earning them a game piece. Per the rules, the first to get all five game pieces or to achieve the coveted “Tic Tac Toe” status would be declared the winner.

After the contest announcer gave her spiel, one player was seen leaping into action, only to have their sprint toward the basket and a would-be layup broken by a fall to the ground. The fan was then clutching their leg, remaining on the floor as the chaos of the moment continues to build.

The announcer, meanwhile, offers up a “Let’s make sure my guy is good” while the other competitor is seen Curb Your Enthusiasm-esquely showing zero awareness for the moment by landing a layup of his own and proceeding with the challenge.

“This is not really a fair game at this point,” the contest overseer later said. “Can you just, wait, can you just be kind and come over here with me and check on James? We know you won, but okay.”

Some viewers were quick to speculate that the presumed injury was a torn ACL, though that did not appear to be confirmed as of this writing. Additional footage seemingly showed the fan being taken away on a stretcher, like so:

Complex has reached out to a Hawks rep for comment. This story may be updated.

Among those in attendance for Tuesday night’s game was Atlanta’s own, Playboi Carti. His long-teased Whole Lotta Red follow-up, aptly titled, simply, MUSIC, is currently enjoying another week atop the Billboard 200.