NBA Twitter Reacts to Conor McGregor Punching The Miami Heat Mascot

It seems nothing went right for the Miami Heat Friday night against the Denver Nuggets. On top of a blowout loss, the Heat’s mascot, “Burnie,” was sent to the emergency room after getting punched by MMA mixed martial artist Conor McGregor at halftime.

Yes, you read that sentence right.

The man who plays Heat mascot "Burnie" was sent to the emergency room after being punched by UFC star Conor McGregor in an on-court bit, reports said.

The man, according to The Athletic, received pain medication, was sent home and is doing well.

More: https://t.co/4uXpmVEN5i pic.twitter.com/r5jlsMZdLm
— ESPN (@espn) June 10, 2023

As if Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro’s injuries weren’t enough, now even the mascot is getting hurt. Here were some of the reactions to McGregor:

The mascot reading his script pre-game. pic.twitter.com/w0QrRvRaqq
— Caleb ∞ (@AktomicGaming) June 10, 2023

That punch was personal 😭
— IKD (@ESPNneedsIKD) June 10, 2023

The mascot tryna get his bag up pic.twitter.com/aIrlxmxoky
— ⚜️SSB⚜️ (@SSBKlutch) June 10, 2023

This was an all time awful idea.

To have big mouth McGregor, who has no connection to the Heat, shamelessly plug his new drink during a timeout where we are trailing by 10. Then he knocks out or mascot??

Yikes…
— Alan (@MaxZiffer) June 10, 2023

Some are reasonably questioning the logic behind this whole endeavor. One fan said, “I really thought this was rehearsed, and the mascot had complete head gear underneath the mascot head. Wth is wrong with McGregor?”

I really thought this was rehearsed, and the mascot had complete head gear on underneath the mascot head. Wth is wrong with McGregor
— Pauly+EV (@cryptodoj) June 10, 2023

To which another responded, “WTH is wrong with whoever suggested this was a good idea?”

Thankfully, the man behind the costume was released from the hospital and is reportedly recovering well. Hopefully he’ll be back in attendance Thursday night if the Heat force Game 6. But first, they need to get a victory in Denver on Monday with their season on the line.

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.