During the opening minutes of the third quarter in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves, a woman stormed the Target Center court before getting dragged off by security.
The arena’s security personnel were on high alert due to two prior incidents of a similar nature. A vigilant security guard was seated next to the woman in the courtside seats. He sprang into action, tackling the intruder as soon as she stepped onto the hardwood floor.
The woman had cleverly disguised herself as an NBA referee, wearing the official uniform beneath a red shirt. A man seated beside her was also escorted out of the arena by security, indicating that he might have been involved in the disruption.
This incident follows a pattern of protests during the series. In Game 1, another woman was removed from the arena after chaining herself to a basket stanchion. She was reportedly protesting against Minnesota owner Glen Taylor’s farm, which allegedly had to kill chickens due to a bird flu outbreak.
The other protestor from Game 1 was wearing a blue t-shirt which bore a message against the farms owned by the Timberwolves’ co-owner.
While the woman in Game 3 did not wear the same blue t-shirt as the other woman, she appeared to be part of the same movement. The initial protest occurred during the franchise’s play-in game against the Los Angeles Clippers, when a woman attempted to glue herself to the floor.
The series of protests during the games highlights an ongoing controversy surrounding Glen Taylor’s agricultural practices. The protestors’ persistence indicates a strong commitment to their cause, using high-profile NBA games as a platform to draw attention to their grievances.
These repeated incidents have put the Target Center’s security protocols under scrutiny. While the swift response by security personnel in Game 3 prevented a major disruption, the frequency of these events raises questions about how to effectively prevent such occurrences in the future.
