SALT LAKE CITY — Nicole Curran, the wife of Golden State Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob, said she’s received a number of death threats and insults on social media following her appearance at the NBA Finals last Wednesday.
During the game, Curran had a brief conversation with Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who were both sitting courtside at the game.
A short clip of Curran talking to Jay-Zand Beyoncé went viral online. The clip shows Curran leaning over to ask Jay-Z a question. Beyoncé appears to be less than enthused with the conversation, prompting an internet meme to be created.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé are courtside for Game 3 😎 pic.twitter.com/6mmJuN8Odn
— ESPN (@espn) June 6, 2019
Curran told ESPN she didn’t realize anyone took umbrage to her actions until she got home later that night. When she checked into social media, she noticed she received a number of death threats, which continued to pile in throughout the night.
Curran said she was offering the couple drinks. Jay-Z reportedly asked for a vodka soda. She asked Jay-Z if he wanted a lime with his drink, according to ESPN.
“There was no hostility. I was trying to be a good hostess,” she said, according to ESPN. “I’ve never experienced cyberbullying like this. I can’t believe our players go through this. That kids go through this."
Curran said there isn’t any bad blood between her and Beyoncé, Fox News reports.
Beyoncé’s publicist asked her fans to stop “spewing hate” after the courtside moment, according to Entertainment Tonight.
There was even more controversy at the Golden State Warriors game. The NBA decided to impose a one-year ban and a $500,000 fine on Mark Stevens, a Warriors' investor and member of the team’s executive board, for shoving Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry during the game, according to The Associated Press.