prince harry He made a surprise appearance during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on Saturday, June 13. The Duke of Sussex, 41, was seen on video arriving at the Frost Bank Center in a polo shirt and baseball cap, accompanied by JP Lane.According to PEOPLE, Lane is a U.S. Army veteran who has participated in the Purple Heart Warrior Games, an adaptive sports competition for wounded, ill, and injured U.S. service members. He will compete in Harry’s Invictus Games in the UK next year, and Harry has previously credited Lane with the inspiration to create Invictus for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel around the world. A source told the outlet that Harry was already in San Antonio for the Warrior Games, which are scheduled for June 13-20 in the city, and was invited by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to attend Game 5.
Harry’s presence at the basketball game came on the same day the royal family took part in London’s annual Trooping the Color, King Charles’ birthday parade. The 77-year-old monarch was joined by Queen Camilla, Prince William, who rode in the parade, and Kate Middleton and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis as they watched the Royal Air Force conduct a ceremonial flyover. Harry, who moved to California with wife Meghan Markle in 2020, was not expected to attend the event in London.
Harry’s history with basketball and the Spurs
The Duke of Sussex, a lifelong sports fan, has attended NBA games before. In February, he and Meghan, 44, were spotted sitting next to Queen Latifah at the 75th NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, California.While Harry has not shared who he is rooting for in this series, he has previously worked with Spurs legend David Robinson. Robinson joined Harry and Meghan at a graduation and awards ceremony hosted by Coach Core, one of the Royal Foundation’s programs, at Loughborough University in 2018, where the pair went head-to-head in a netball game before the awards were handed out, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
5. what’s at stake in the game
The Knicks are aiming to win the NBA championship for the first time in 53 years. Down 3-1 against the Spurs, the Knicks won in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, June 10, when OG Anunoby sealed a 29-point comeback at the buzzer.
