Legendary hip-hop artist E-40, an avid Warriors supporter notably from the Bay Area, was ejected from Saturday’s first-round opener between Golden State and the Sacramento Kings.
Following the incident in Sacramento, where the Kings won 126-123, E-40 cited “racial bias” as the trigger for his dismissal following an incident in which he says he was “subjected to disrespectful heckling” during the game.
Videos surfaced on social media showing E-40 being confronted by security at the Golden 1 Center and subsequently leaving the arena, where he was sitting courtside.
Upon leaving, he was seen pointing at fans who were seated near him as they watched his exit, some smiling, some waving, some recording on their phones — all of whom were white.
E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, said in a statement that he “addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner” during the fourth quarter, and the 55-year-old alleged that Kings security “assumed that I instigated” and removed him from the game.
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“Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent,” said the hip-hop artist, who has released one platinum album and three gold albums throughout his career.
“Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault.”
Arena security believed that the rapper “stood excessively” which blocked the view of those sitting behind him and claimed he did not comply after receiving a warning, Andscape’s Marc Spears reported.
A person close to E-40, a mainstay at Warriors games who has courtside seats for their home games, told Spears that he received no such warning from security.
