NC State player apologizes for ‘disrespectful gesture’

NC State basketball star DJ Horne was caught on camera making an obscene gesture on Tuesday night, and he apologized after the game.

Horne helped the Wolfpack overcome an 11-point deficit to beat Wake Forest 83-76 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The senior guard scored a team-high 21 points, but that is not what most people were talking about afterward.

Horne was fouled with 2.2 seconds remaining in the game. As he stepped to the line to put the finishing touches on NC State’s win, Horne flipped the double bird at someone.

The double bird behind the refs back.

Vet move. pic.twitter.com/fhkvPVCfyP

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 17, 2024

It looked like the gesture may have been directed toward a referee, though it is unclear what Horne was angry about. The game was very spirited and featured six technical fouls, so Horne may have been unhappy with the officiating. NC State coach Kevin Keatts was ejected in the first half and Wolfpack forward Mo Diarra and Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis were thrown out of the game not long after.

Horne told reporters in the locker room after the game that some of his emotion “got out of hand.” He later issued an apology via social media.

“My sincere apologies for what happened at the end of the game. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a disrespectful gesture that I should have never done. That’s not who I am!” Horne wrote on X.

My sincere apologies for what happened at the end of the game. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a disrespectful gesture that I should have never done. That’s not who I am!

— DJ Horne (@djhorne0) January 17, 2024

Horne leads NC State with 15.1 points and 1.5 steals per game this season. He could face disciplinary action over the inappropriate gesture.

NC State improved to 13-4 and 5-1 in the ACC with the win.