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(NEW YORK) Brooklyn Nets’ player Kyrie Irving had a water bottle thrown at him, Washington Wizards’ star Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on his head, and the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young was spit on.
These are among a rash of incidents of fans behaving badly during the first round of the NBA playoffs, prompting the league to crack down on such unruly acts and leaving some players worried that spectators have forgotten proper game etiquette during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You can tell those people have been in some sort of captivity for the last year and change, right? It’s kind of wild to see the liberties people are taking,” Wizards’ center Robin Lopez said on Monday after a security guard tackled a fan who ran onto the court during a playoff game between the Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers in Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena.
Ja Morant s father pulling for Utah Jazz after team s response to fan incidents
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Morant s dad pulling for Jazz to win the NBA title (0:32)
Ja Morant s dad, Tee, tells Donovan Mitchell he is rooting for the Jazz. (0:32)
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At least one fan joined the Utah Jazz bandwagon after their five-game series win in the first round: Tee Morant, the father of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Moments after top-seeded Utah ended the series with a 126-110 win Wednesday night, Tee Morant told Donovan Mitchell that he d be rooting for the Jazz the rest of the playoffs. He said it was because of the way the organization responded to three fans directing racist and vulgar taunts toward Morant s parents earlier in the series.
Despite eliminating his son's team on Wednesday night, Tee Morant is pulling for the Utah Jazz to win the NBA championship. Speaking to Donovan Mitchell.
June 3, 2021
Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz finished off Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in five games on Wednesday night. Afterward, Morant’s dad, Tee, expressed to Mitchell his respect for the Jazz organization because of how they handled racist hecklers earlier in the series.
“Hey yo, I’m going for y’all right now,” Tee Morant told Mitchell in a brief courtside conversation on the Vivint Arena court. “Why? Y’all didn’t have to do that. Y’all didn’t have to show love to us like that.
“This is what I’m saying: When s goes bad and then you reach out, that’s how you bridge the gap. Most people don’t realize that. That’s why I appreciate you, and that’s why I hope the Jazz win the championship.”
Jazz owner Ryan Smith is providing courtside seats, lodging and car service for Wednesday s Game 5 in Utah to friends and family of Ja Morant, the Grizzlies star s father, Tee Morant, told ESPN.