This past week, three fan interactions put a damper on what should have otherwise been some great playoff games. First off, Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on his head, all while Trae Young was spat on. Perhaps the least reported incident of them all involved the likes of Ja Morant whose parents were reportedly harassed by Utah Jazz fans. Salt Lake City has had a bad reputation over the years, especially when it comes to racist incidents. For instance, there was a situation just a couple of years ago with Russell Westbrook, and it left a huge stain on the reputation of Jazz fans.
Recently, Jazz star Donovan Mitchell spoke about this reputation and noted that it's truly unfortunate. However, Mitchell also stated that he doesn't believe it's keeping players from signing in Utah. “There is a rep that this happens solely here and as we’ve seen there’s incidents that happen everywhere … I don’t know, but I don’t think it will necessarily have an impact on guys’ decisions, whether they want to come here or not," he said.
As for the incident involving Morant, Mitchell hates that it happened in Utah, and he wants to see widespread change all around the league.
“It happened here. Trae got spit on in New York, Russ getting popcorn thrown at him, and we obviously hear what’s going on in Boston too. Enough is enough, man. I feel like banning them is great but I don’t think they should be back," he noted.
Moving forward, the NBA has pledged to take harsh action against fans who act in an inappropriate manner. Hopefully, these actions continue to discourage people from getting out of pocket, in the future.
