Chris Brown posted a barrage of angry Instagram Stories Saturday in which he claimed the NBA had invited him to play in their celebrity all-star game, only to disinvite him later over objections from sponsors.
“I was asked by the NBA to play in the all star game this year! Only for them to call later and say they couldn’t do IT because of their sponsors like RUFFLES,” he wrote in his post, naming the principal sponsor of the star-studded match.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, a spokesperson for Ruffles refuted the controversial singer’s claims. “Ruffles did not have any involvement in, nor visibility to, any player decisions or celebrity invite discussions,” the spokesman said.
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Brown added screenshots of a Jan. 22 email with an NBA rep welcoming him to the event. The message included a digital template of an NBA jersey Brown was supposed to wear as part of rapper Lil Wayne’s team.
In a separate story, the singer wrote that the NBA had retracted their invitation via phone call, a move he believed was motivated by his history of domestic violence.
“I’m tired of living in the fucking past,” Brown wrote.
Brown has been hit with assault charges in multiple instances over the years, beginning with his 2009 domestic violence case involving Rihanna. A year ago, he railed on social media against cancel culture, telling everyone to “kiss my whole entire ass!” for bringing up his assault of ex-girlfriend Rihanna, which he described as a “MISTAKE I MADE AS A 17 year old.” Brown mentioned that the NBA, after disinviting him from playing in the game, still invited him to sit courtside. “NOT FUCKING HAPPENING,” he wrote.
The celebrity all-star game took place on Friday, with teams led by rappers 50 Cent and Lil Wayne.
