LINCOLN — Hundreds of people converged on the basketball courts at Antelope Park on Sunday evening as part of an event hosted by a social media influencer that seemingly caught local officials off guard.
Spectators gather around to watch YouTuber Cam Wilder plays basketball on Sunday at Antelope Park.
Cam Wilder, a video creator and former basketball player at Midland University in Fremont, held the so-called “park takeover” basketball game that drew an estimated 1,000 people to the courts near the intersection of Normal Boulevard and South Street.
Lincoln police arrived to help direct traffic and pedestrians. Reports on social media indicated police had little warning the event was taking place and later declared the gathering unlawful and asked the crowd to disperse. A Nebraska State Patrol helicopter also was seen circling the area.
The majority of the fans were middle and high school students, but parents and other adults were among the crowd. Friends Carter Lyons and Landon Topolski, both 14, came to watch the pickup game scheduled for 6 p.m. but had no luck catching a glimpse of the action because of the large crowd. Many people climbed the chain-link fence and trees around the courts.
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“It never happens in Nebraska, so it’s cool to see,” Topolski said of the event that was advertised on social media.
Many onlookers had walked multiple blocks to get there, and parking lots were full surrounding the park. A few kids had brought basketballs from home in hopes of a signature from Wilder, but most onlookers at the park weren’t able to get close enough.
At times, the game had to pause to clear areas of the court.
Wilder, who has nearly 1.5 million followers on YouTube, was joined by other basketball players and online influencers, including LaVar Johnson and Brandon Beloti.
YouTuber Cam Wilder, center, stands on a basketball court surrounded by spectators Sunday at Antelope Park in Lincoln.
This isn’t the first time Wilder has held an event in which fans have been encouraged to take over a park.
According to a post from Wilder on X (formerly known as Twitter), the event was scheduled to be held on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus. But it appears the university thwarted his plan by covering the hoops.
Police were seen escorting players out of the fenced in courts, and Wilder was seen leaving in his own vehicle.
Makhi Moody, 14, is an avid watcher of Wilder’s videos and heard about the event two weeks ago. He had been excited to enjoy the game with his friends.
“He just wanted to put on a show for Lincoln,” Moody said.
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