Hayden Christensen pissed off some 'Star Wars' fans this weekend when he made an early exit from a pricey fan convention panel in Texas ... so he could go to the NBA Finals.

Several folks who attended Space Con in San Antonio tell TMZ ... Hayden, who plays Anakin Skywalker in the 'Star Wars' franchise, let them down when he got up from a panel they paid to attend and announced he was going next door to Game 5 between the Knicks and Spurs.

Waiting for your permission to load TikTok Post.

See for yourself ... footage circulating on social media shows Hayden telling the group he's jetting to get to the game ... and his announcement gets a mixture of moans and cheers.

Folks who were there tell us they were upset Hayden seemed flippant about dipping out during the paid panel.

Fans we heard from explained they're bent out of shape because the panel -- which also featured 'Star Wars OGs' Jimmy Smits and Ian McDiarmid -- was an extra $100 on top of the dough they shelled out for various levels of admission.

Hayden made it to the game ... and the team even tweeted about him being in the house ... but his Dark Side vibes didn't help the Spurs, who lost the NBA championship to the Knicks with Hayden in the building.

We reached out to reps for Hayden and Space Con for comment ... so far, no word back.