The Duke of Sussex faced mockery from fans after an awkward encounter with a Hollywood legend during his appearance at the NBA finals over the weekend. Prince Harry made a surprise appearance at game five of the finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Prince Harry at the NBA Finals
He attended the match with US Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient JP Lane and sat beside NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, eight rows back from the court. The Duke was already in Texas for the Warrior Games, an event for wounded, injured, or ill military personnel organized by the US Government.
Other recognizable faces at the match included Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney, who attended with boyfriend Scooter Braun, actor Timothee Chalamet, and Ben Stiller.
Neither the Duchess of Sussex nor the couple’s children were in attendance at the game, which ended with the New York Knicks claiming their first NBA title since 1973 with a 94-90 win.
The Awkward Encounter
In a video shared by the New York Post that has gone viral on social media, Harry can be seen greeting people after the match. However, at one point, he encounters American filmmaker Spike Lee in what has been described as an awkward moment between the two men.
The video shows Lee, standing in a different row from the Duke, waiting for Harry to finish hugging someone in front of him before speaking to him. Harry tries to high-five him, but the filmmaker points his finger at him, before the Duke lands his palm on his chest, finally grabbing his hand and giving him a handshake.
It is not clear what Lee says to the Duke, but Harry is seen leaving his place while laughing.
Fan Reactions
Fans found the whole encounter awkward and said the Duke was being greatly ignored by the American filmmaker. One user on X said: “How rude, placing his hand on Spike Lee's chest then grabbing his hand to shake, even though Spike was clearly not extending his hand.”
Another added: “He had to grab Spike Lee's hand to shake; Spike clearly did not extend his hand.” A third person wrote: “Wow, he had to go grab his hand, that’s embarrassing.” A fourth commented: “Haha, well, that's awkward.”
A fifth blasted: “Looked like Spike Lee is telling him off. Love to know what he said to him.” A sixth noted: “That doesn’t look like a friendly encounter!”
Warrior Games Appearance
Hours later, the Duke took part in Day Two of the Warrior Games in Texas. Harry was seen serving up BBQ food cooked by United Airlines to competitors, their families, and staff at the event. The prince also presented medals to the winners and met several veterans at the event.
