Minnesota’s Target Center turned into a political stage Saturday night as the Minnesota Lynx home opener against the Atlanta Dream was hijacked by a fan shouting anti-ICE sentiments.
Before a public address announcer took the microphone, the Lynx organization held a moment of silence for Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two residents killed during federal immigration operations in January.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
The arena announcer then led the formal tribute, stating, “Please join us in honoring Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti with a moment of silence.”
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He added, “We continue to extend our love, support and heartfelt sympathies to Renee and Alex’s families, friends and our community.”
THOUSANDS MARCH THROUGH MINNEAPOLIS, SWARM TARGET CENTER DEMANDING ICE REMOVAL FROM MINNESOTA
The quiet lasted seconds before a fan shouted “f–k ICE” from the stands.
Cheers immediately broke out across the arena in response to the obscenity.
The scene mirrored a Minnesota Timberwolves game from earlier this year, where the NBA franchise attempted a similar moment of silence for Renee Good.
PROTESTERS CLASH WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS AFTER ANOTHER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS
The Lynx organization has leaned heavily into the political narrative surrounding these deaths.
Coach Cheryl Reeve has used her social media platforms to post “#ICEOUT.”
Ex-Lynx guard DiJonai Carrington has also used her personal platform to refer to federal agents as “masked criminals.”
The political firestorm has reached the highest levels of the NBA, at one point forcing Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr to issue a formal apology for his inflammatory and flat-out wrong commentary against ICE after OutKick asked him for clarification on his comments.
STEVE KERR APOLOGIZES FOR SPREADING ‘MISINFORMATION’ RELATED TO ICE
Kerr had initially criticized federal agencies for their role in the January shootings, calling the government’s narrative “shameful,” but he admitted to misinterpreting the specific facts of the investigations during a pregame session at Chase Center in late February.
STEVE KERR SAYS IMMIGRATION SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY CONGRESS, CLAIMS FEDS ‘TAKING 5-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTNERS’
“You’re right, I definitely misspoke, and I knew that ICE was arresting some criminals,” Kerr told OutKick.
“I immediately regretted it because I knew that to be the case. My point is that they’re also arresting people and detaining citizens and people who should not be being detained. The manner in which they’re doing it, as you see, is riling everybody up all over the country.”
Kerr continued, “Being in Minneapolis for those four days was incredibly emotional and powerful. It was a very difficult time for all of us… I misspoke, and I apologize for the misinformation. I hope everybody else out there who’s saying stuff that’s not true, please apologize, too. All right, let’s talk about basketball.”
CELLPHONE VIDEO RELEASED IN DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS ICE AGENT SHOOTING
The rage in Minneapolis centers on two specific events from earlier this year.
On Jan. 7, Renee Good was shot and killed by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. Federal officials claim Good used her vehicle to interfere with a lawful operation, while local activists dispute that account.
On Jan. 24, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot 10 times by Border Patrol agents.
Video footage appeared to show Pretti recording the agents on his phone before a physical altercation began.
The violence following Pretti’s death was so severe that a Timberwolves game was postponed versus the Warriors to ensure public safety.
While the Lynx lost a close 91-90 contest to the Dream on Saturday, the game itself was secondary to the continued vitriol against ICE stirring in the WNBA and NBA.
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