Charlotte Hornets rookie James Bouknight on Saturday was ejected from his courtside seat by a game official during the No. 24 UConn men’s basketball game at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
The former Huskies standout was apparently asked to leave after standing on the court with his phone in his hand. A game official witnessed Bouknight stand up and promptly asked him to leave the Huskies’ 72-61 win over Xavier.
Bouknight, after getting ejected, snuck back into the game and sat in the student section to watch the second half.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley wasn’t sure what happened after the game.
“That was not an ideal scenario because we were playing bad and kind of melting down a little bit and then he got tossed,” Hurley said. “I didn’t really see what happened and then I saw him again somewhere near the student section. I don’t know. I don’t want to comment on that, James is my guy. I didn’t see what happened.”
Bouknight played two seasons with the Huskies before entering the NBA draft last year. He was named to the All-Big East first team as a sophomore after averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 15 games.
The 11th pick is averaging five points and 1.7 rebounds in 28 games this season with the Hornets. He recorded his best game of the season on Dec. 10 with 24 points and six rebounds in a win over the Sacramento Kings.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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