A Sacramento lobbyist's front-row seat at a Kings-Lakers game turned into an unexpected ejection when he chest-passed a loose ball toward a referee who wasn't looking — and Luka Doncic was the first to call him out for it. Duncan McFetridge was removed from Golden 1 Center during the Wednesday, November 4 game after the ball went out of bounds near his seat and he tossed it back with unusual force.
The Pass Heard Around the Arena
According to the Sacramento Bee, McFetridge was seated in front-row floor seats near the basketball when the ball bounced out of play. He threw it toward a referee who wasn't looking at the time, and Doncic, standing nearby waiting on the inbound, approached him almost immediately. Doncic later explained that he confronted McFetridge because the fan had tossed the ball with unusual force toward the referee, and questioned why he'd thrown it so forcefully, per the Sacramento Bee's reporting.
Separately, Mediaite reported that the fan chest-passed the ball toward referee Chelisa Painter, who was standing about five feet away, and that security came and yanked him from his seat shortly after. As reported by Yahoo Sports, Doncic said afterward, “He just tossed — really strong — the ball towards the ref,” explaining his decision to step in and ask McFetridge what he was doing.
His Wife Steps In to Explain
The fan's identity became public when his wife, Kellie DeMarco — described by the Sacramento Bee as a former longtime television news personality who spent nearly 20 years in TV news — confirmed on social media that he was the man involved. “Yes, this is my sweet husband, and yes, he's the guy who got ejected from an NBA game,” DeMarco said, according to the same Mediaite report.
DeMarco told Mediaite her husband meant no harm, felt terrible about how the pass came across, and still has nothing but respect for the officials. She attributed the incident to old habits rather than hostility, noting that he played basketball for years. “He played basketball for years, and apparently the chest pass muscle memory never left,” she said. DeMarco also addressed a passing resemblance some noticed, telling followers, per the Sacramento Bee, that her husband is not Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, despite the likeness.
Viral Reach and Online Debate
Video of the exchange between Doncic and McFetridge received more than 2 million views on X, and some reposts of the incident used the hashtag #FreeDuncan, the Sacramento Bee reported. One X post from user @aakashgupta
described the moment Doncic turned to ask McFetridge what he was doing as security walked him out with both hands raised. The clip's spread also fueled a broader back-and-forth online, with a separate Yahoo Sports report noting that the incident ignited a fiery debate over arena fan etiquette and Doncic's tendencies on the court.
Doncic's frustration with the moment wasn't isolated. Mediaite reported that he picked up a technical foul during the Lakers' Friday night game after agitatedly tossing the ball at a referee, who also felt it had been thrown with too much speed — an echo of the same complaint that got McFetridge ejected days earlier.
Lakers Rout Kings Behind Doncic's 40 Points
On the court, the Lakers handled Sacramento comfortably, winning 116-103 as Doncic scored 40 points, the Sacramento Bee reported. The loss continued a rough stretch for a Kings franchise that, per a separate Yahoo Sports report, hasn't advanced in the playoffs since 2004 — a drought that has only sharpened scrutiny of nights like this one at Golden 1 Center.
