Washington Wizards Prank A Fan On April Fools, Trick Him Into Thinking He Won 10k Dollars With A Halftime Shot, Offer Apology After It Backfires

Leave it to the Washington Wizards to turn an April Fools’ joke into a viral dumpster fire. The team issued an apology after apparently pranking a fan into thinking he just won $10,000 by making a blindfolded half-court shot—spoiler alert: he didn’t.

According to the Wizards, the whole thing was scripted, and everyone involved knew it was a joke. But judging by the stunned look on the fan’s face in the video, “knowing it was a joke” apparently doesn’t travel well to someone on the receiving end.

“We apologize for last night’s April Fools’ joke that left many wondering if we had misled a fan,” the team said in a statement. “The skit involving our mascot and other members of our performance team was scripted and intended to celebrate the day. All participants were in on the joke, but we missed the mark.”

Translation: we thought this would be funny, but apparently tricking a random fan into thinking he just won ten grand doesn’t exactly scream ‘positive experience.’

Honestly, you can’t blame the guy for feeling like he hit the lottery, only to find out it was a well-orchestrated prank. That’s peak NBA mascot chaos right there. At least the Wizards admitted they screwed up and promised to prioritize fans going forward, but you know the internet’s not going to let this one go anytime soon.

So, moral of the story: never trust a mascot with a ball, especially on April Fools’. Your bank account might still be safe, but your dignity? Not so much.