December 18, 2015: Jason Day and his wife Ellie Day were watching the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, enjoying a nice evening together at the Quicken Loans center. But their date turned dramatic when LeBron James ploughed his 250 pound frame into a court side seat occupied by Ellie. The 6’8″ James knocked over the PGA Champion’s wife as he flew in her direction scrambling for a loose ball.
The incident occurred in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as the Cavs worked their way to a 104-100 victory over the Thunder. The incident lead to a brief stoppage in play, during which James tried to quickly assess the damage he might have caused accidentally.
“I squeezed her hand and she said she was OK,” he informed the media. “She was just a little weary.”
James looked very sullen as he left the floor immediately after victory, clearly rattled by the incident. “For me, obviously, her health is very important and hopefully she is doing well,” James added. “The guys told me she’s doing great now. For me, just going for a loose ball, tried to keep the possession going, I just hate that that was the end result.”
Soon after the game, James also tweeted, “Ellie Day I hope you’re doing okay! My apologies! Hope u guys come back to another game soon. Love LJ!”
It has only been a month since Ellie gave birth to a girl, named Lucy. The Days invited their second child into the world on 11th November.
The golfer was sitting right next to Ellie when the incident happened. The couple have been frequent visitors to NBA games and have in the past attended with their first child Dash for company.
The Days were actively involved at the Thursday night game, with Day participating in an on court promotion during a timeout.
“Honestly, the only thing I saw was LeBron diving for the ball to save the ball,” said David Blatt, the Cavs coach. Blatt has voiced his concerns in the past as well, for people sitting too close to the action.
“I kind of got blocked and just saw a sea of bodies. We all hope that she’s OK. It’s always concerned me, the sideline seats. Always concerned me, because things like that, when you’re talking about players of this speed and physicality and effort level, it’s not a simple thing.
“The powers that be are the ones that really need to decide how to deal with that. He made an honest attempt at the basketball, that’s all, obviously. We all hope she’s OK.”
It is understood that Ellie has been kept under observation at the medical center, as a precautionary measure. It is likely that she is discharged without any significant concerns on Friday.
