Ja Morant is happy with the Utah Jazz‘s handling of three hecklers that targeted his family in Game 2 of their first-round series, but his family might have watched its last game in Salt Lake City.
The Memphis Grizzlies point guard told reporters on Friday that his family isn’t sure about returning to Utah for Game 5 next week:
The Grizzlies are currently tied 1-1 with the Jazz as the series heads to Memphis, with Morant averaging 36.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds through two games.
Bad fan behavior, a recurring theme so far in the NBA playoffs, reached the Jazz-Grizzlies series when the Jazz announced the ejection and indefinite ban of three fans for a “verbal altercation” on Thursday. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon soon reported what the fans had allegedly said to warrant such punishment.
It did not reflect well on the fanbase:
Tee Morant said one fan made a sexually explicit remark to his wife, Jamie. Tee Morant, who was sitting a couple of seats over, confronted the man before security de-escalated the situation, ejecting the Jazz fan.
According to Tee Morant, another Jazz fan told him, “I’ll put a nickel in your back and watch you dance, boy.” Several other Jazz fans, who had been enjoying good-spirited trash talk with the Morants and their family friends, confronted that fan and alerted security. Tee Morant said he was shocked that the Jazz fan, who was ejected, made such a comment with the man’s young daughter by his side.
The third fan who was ejected yelled at Jamie Morant, “Shut the f— up, b—,” Tee Morant said.
Not only was Morant’s family reportedly subjected to inappropriate and racist heckling, his father Tee claimed on a Memphis radio show that the family of Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks were called “half-breeds” by Jazz fans.
Game 3 for the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Memphis’ FedExForum.
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