Medics attend to fan who collapsed courtside at Spurs, Grizzlies game

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Medics attended to a fan who collapsed courtside Monday night before the San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies game.

The teams were preparing for the opening tipoff when attention turned to the courtside seats. Medics worked on the man on the floor as both teams were sent back to the locker rooms with the game delayed.

The man was taken out of the arena on a stretcher after about seven minutes.

“We are sending our thoughts and prayers to the individual involved and are thankful to the first responders and medical staff who provided the necessary care,” a Grizzlies spokesperson said in a statement.

Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins was limited in his comments after the game, citing privacy matters, but said the organization is “hoping for the best.”

The game started after a 45-minute delay.

Sports agent Mike Miller, who was sitting near the fan, said he called for authorities after he noticed something was wrong.

“It was awful,” Miller said. “He was sitting talking to people, then the national anthem happened, and he didn’t get up.”

After the game, which the Grizzlies won 128-109, several players said the situation affected them as they returned to the court.

“My energy was kind of shifted by it a little bit,” said Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who started at forward. “I started the game real slow. My mind was all over the place. That was the first time that has ever happened to me, especially in a basketball environment.”

GG Jackson said he went through a similar situation when he was young with his grandfather during a church service.

“My first instinct was to go straight to prayer,” he said, adding that when the Grizzlies returned to the locker room, they huddled in prayer for the man.

“We had a great prayer led by GG,” Memphis guard Ja Morant said. “Then we were back here hoping for the best. Praying for the best.”

Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said everyone was very understanding given the situation. He said the teams went back to their respective locker rooms to give first responders “time and space.”

Johnson said he was not sure if there was ever a consideration to cancel the game.

“At some point, the medical situation is the priority, so I'm sure there were a lot of conversation,” he said. “We were just playing a waiting game and waiting for them to tell us what they thought was most appropriate.”

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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, left, forward Jaylen Wells huddle with their team after a man collapsed courtside just before the start of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Fans react after a man suffered a medical emergency courtside just before the start of an NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

An EMT runs across the court to help assist a man experiencing a medical emergency just before tipoff of an NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

A police officer motions for help as a man has a medical emergency before an NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Medical personnel wheel a man off of the court after he collapsed before an NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

BERLIN (AP) — German police in Cologne on Sunday detained five Frenchmen and a Belgian woman who had tried to climb the city's famous cathedral.

Police said they were informed by the church's private security guards who spotted the young climbers with headlamps on their surveillance cameras in the middle of the night.

Police officers in riot gear surrounded the cathedral and a helicopter hovered over the northern dome, until the five climbers were detained inside the tower's stairwell. Authorities said the men were aged between 18 and 27 years, the woman was 26. Their identities were not revealed in line with German privacy rules.

Police confiscated a camera, a cellphone and a lock pick. During their search of the building, they discovered several doors that had apparently been broken up and rucksacks containing climbing equipment.

The double-domed cathedral is a tourist attraction and one of the oldest, most important Catholic pilgrimage sites of Northern Europe. It's considered Germany's most famous house of worship.

FILE - The Cologne cathedral is illuminated in Cologne, Germany, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)