The New York Knicks and Miami Heat were playing a relatively competitive game for the better part of three quarters Monday night. The Heat led by 11 after a quarter, but the Knicks pulled within two at halftime and even took a slim lead early in the third quarter. Then, with the Knicks leading 64-58, the game was paused. For approximately 10 minutes, the Heat and Knicks waited on the sidelines as staffers dealt with a situation court side.
So what happened? A fan sitting in a courtside seat vomited, and the crew needed to clean it up before play could resume. That fan, it turns out, was comedian Tracy Morgan, who grew up in the Bronx and frequently attends Knicks games as one of their most well-known celebrity fans. Morgan was later wheeled out of his seat, also seemingly dealing with a nosebleed.
Fans often spill things on the court, but they’re typically fairly manageable. Staffers already wipe sweat off of the floor, so a drink isn’t especially difficult to deal with. Vomit, obviously, is another matter, and something players wouldn’t be comfortable trying to avoid. It’s rare that a fan gets sick sitting courtside, but as Monday showed, it does happen.
After the delay, the Knicks closed the quarter on a 24-6 run to help secure a 116-95 victory despite the absence of star point guard Jalen Brunson. Their main concern for now, of course, is Morgan, who is beloved among Knicks fans for both his fandom and his body of work as a comedian.
Morgan provided an update on social media Tuesday morning, saying doctors told him he was dealing with a bout of food poisoning. The former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star also joked about pulling a similar move in the playoffs after it sparked a Knicks rally.
“Thank you for all your concern! I’m doing OK now and doctors say it was food poisoning,” Morgan wrote in his post. “Appreciate my MSG family for taking such good care of me and I need to shout out the crew that had to clean that up. Appreciate you!
“More importantly, the Knicks are now 1-0 when I throw up on the court so maybe I’ll have to break it out again in the playoffs.”
Morgan is a fixture at Madison Square Garden, and everyone in the building surely hopes he’ll feel well enough to support the team in the Knicks’ upcoming playoff run. The 56-year-old has dealt with multiple serious health issues throughout his life, including undergoing a kidney transplant in 2010 and spending two weeks in a coma after a 2014 car crash.
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