Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson surprised fans at an NBA basketball game on Wednesday when he was spotted sitting in the stands with two of his sons and no visible security detail, Fréttablaðið reports. The trio were attending a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.
Idle observers could perhaps be forgiven for wondering what would bring a foreign head of state to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but it was the lack of bodyguards that really got people talking.
Spotted on the Jumbotron, the President stood and gave a friendly wave to his fellow sports fans.
“The President of Iceland is out here watching Celtics vs Bucks and there isn’t any security around him,” sports blogger and Celtics fan Beewol Akandwanaho tweeted. A number of Icelanders were quick to reply, pointing out that although he may be President, Guðni still “waits in line at KFC in Iceland,” and does regular, everyday activities like go to the public swimming pool and grocery store just like anyone else.
Others seem to take more issue with Guðni’s choice of seats. “He’s just chilling in the seats with us norms?” tweeted @PnwToeknee. “He’s not even courtside,” someone else commented.
One of Guðni’s sons sported a jersey for Bucks forward and NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, also affectionately known as “the Greek Freak.” Happily for Antetokounmpo’s young fan, given how far he’d travelled to see the game, Milwaukee won, 131 to 125.
