The Heat took three brutal blows in Game 4 of the NBA Finals vs. the Nuggets on Friday: one to their hopes of winning the series, and two more to their mascot, Burnie.
Quite literally, in the case of the latter: according to a report by The Athletic, the man who plays Burnie was sent to the emergency room following a skit with mixed martial artist Conor McGregor. The bit was part of the fighter's promotion for his pain-relieving spray.
The skit took place during Miami's 108-95 loss at home to Denver. Burnie — sporting a comically sized pair of boxing gloves — challenged the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion before McGregor decked him in Burnie's costumed head.
McGregor punched Burnie again while the mascot was on the floor, then sprayed him with the product as Heat staffers dragged Burnie off the court. Sources close to the situation tell The Sporting News' Daniel Yanofsky that this is the first time such an incident has occurred: fighters have participated in similar bits before, but none have injured the actor playing Burnie.
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Below is video of the skit, which shows Burnie stepping up to take on McGregor.
Conor McGregor just knocked out Burnie pic.twitter.com/w1IdovFhrX
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) June 10, 2023
Here's another angle of the staged KO:
Conor McGregor KO'd the Heat mascot 😅 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/IRAKzuMKp2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 10, 2023
The Athletic, citing an NBA staffer familiar with the situation, reported that Burnie's actor was given pain medication by doctors at the hospital and released, and is now doing well.
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McGregor, meanwhile, stayed for the entire game at Miami's Kaseya Center. He has not fought in UFC since he lost via stoppage to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He is rumored to be taking on Michael Chandler later this year.
As for the Heat, it remains to be seen whether Burnie's knockout is a sign of the ultimate NBA Finals result. The series returns to Denver on Monday, giving the Nuggets the chance to close out their first NBA Finals title at home.