Virginia guard De’Andre Hunter heard his name get announced with the fourth pick in the the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday night and was immediately handed a Los Angeles Lakers hat to put on his head.
But here’s the thing – he’s not going to play for the Lakers. He’s going to play for the Atlanta Hawks, who traded with the Pelicans (who got the pick in the Anthony Davis trade) earlier in the day.
Because of NBA rules, however, he wasn’t allowed to wear a Hawks hat because trades can’t go through until the league’s year starts in a few weeks.
So with the trade not being recognized by the league, Hunter and a number of other players on Thursday night had to have their photos taken with wrong hats on.
The Hawks weren’t even allowed to tweet about Hunter:
Which is embarrassing. The league, which is arguably the most progressive of our major sports leagues, needs to recognize this situation and do something about it, like five years. ago.
Not only does it feel weird for the players, but fans, including one NFL coach, watching at home were so annoyed by it:
