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The Utah Jazz definitely banned Monday night the fan who had had a passionate exchange with Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook in a statement stating that "there is no space in our game for personal attacks or lack of respect. "
The NBA, meanwhile, sentenced Westbrook to a $ 25,000 fine "for directing blasphemy and threatening threatening language to a fan."
"Everyone deserves to be able to play football in a safe, positive and inclusive environment," said Jazz president Steve Starks in a statement on Tuesday. "Offensive and abusive behavior does not reflect the values of the Miller family, our organization and the community, and we all have a responsibility to respect basketball and, more importantly, as human beings." has always been a hallmark of our incredible fan base and should always be our standard to go from the front. "
National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, "We should all insist that a zero tolerance policy must be implemented on arenas. The players do not have the luxury of being able to unilaterally prohibit James Dolan's undisciplined arena supporters, so the arena has to better isolate our players. "
Several Utah Jazz players, including the pillars of the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell franchise, publicly supported Westbrook on Tuesday.
The Westbrook video saying, "I'm going to get you up," said Jazz fan Shane Keisel and his mate while he was standing near the end of the Thunder Bank in the second quarter, went viral after having been posted on Twitter. After the Thunder's 98-89 win, Westbrook said it was an emotional reaction that Keisel told him, "Get on your knees as usual," a comment that Westbrook considered "utterly disrespectful." "and" racial ".
"I am personally hurt by the incident that occurred on March 11," Mitchell said in a statement. "As a black man living in a community that I love and playing in a team that gives me the opportunity to make my dreams come true, this incident is hitting close to home." Racist and hate speech hurts us all, and it's not the first time Utah that I loved to love is welcoming and inclusive and last night's incident is not indicative of our base We do not want to create a negative reputation for athletes who could potentially wish to come to Utah.
"I want to thank my team and the NBA for reacting quickly to this heinous incident and for helping to make our arena a place where all fans and players are welcome. other players to ask all teams to take a position We should not be subject to hate speech or racist acts at any time, and certainly not in our arenas.
"Over the coming months, I will work with the team, my teammates and the league to make our arenas and our communities more inclusive and welcoming, including the prohibition of hate speech and racism."
Keisel, one of the many fans who received a warning card for breaking the NBA 's code of conduct for fans, denied saying anything inappropriate, saying that "I'm not sure I' ve been doing anything wrong. he had told Westbrook. "Ice those knees up!" According to Keisel, after Westbrook answered that he was too hot at the knees, Keisel yelled, "You're going to need it." Keisel said that his girlfriend, Jennifer Huff, had not participated in the exchange.
Thunder Reserves, Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson have confirmed the side of Westbrook's history. Sources told ESPN that the Jazz had gathered information Monday that also checked the Westbrook version.
Gobert stated that he did not think the comment was representative of the Jazz fan base, adding that he had never heard racist comment at the Vivint Arena during his six seasons with the franchise. However, Gobert said he was embarrassed in the past by disrespectful comments to his opponents and sympathizing with Westbrook.
"We have his back," Gobert told ESPN. "Even though I like to compete with Russ – and there is always a little conversation between him and me – as a human being, I feel for him and I understand his reaction.
"This kind of comments is addressed to any human being, whether it is a player, a fan in the stands or anyone, there is no room for that, all that is said to Russ, is as if it were said to me, as a black man, a fan in this arena. represents the Jazz and the state of Utah and must be held responsible .. As Donovan said, we will do our best with the Jazz and the big owners who make all the difference so that we can have a good I think this can be the beginning of something that opens people's minds and does a lot of good. "
Gobert said he was also worried when Westbrook was hit by a boy sitting next to the playground in Denver last month. Westbrook responded by giving a brief lecture to the boy and addressing his father. He also told reporters after the match that the fans had "too much room for maneuver", a point on which Gobert is in agreement.
"Sometimes it's like being in a zoo," Gobert told ESPN. "People pay money to look at us and feel like they can touch us or do what they want, because we're making millions, we're expected to close it and take it." they can not do what they want.
"It's really important to hold these people to account, because ultimately these children are the future of this country and the world, we need to show them what's right."
Jazz Reserve striker Thabo Sefolosha also expressed his support for Westbrook, his teammate for five seasons.
"I'm 100% with Russell Westbrook on what happened in the match of yesterday," Sefolosha said in an Instagram post. "I love our fans but there are limits not to be exceeded! Support and encourage your team and enjoy the action but fans like Shane Keisel, who use this platform to stimulate [their] hateful and racist views must be held accountable. "
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