Report: 2nd Jazz fan permanently banned based on 2018 incident
After another investigation by the Utah Jazz, a second fan has been forbidden from attending events at Vivint Smart Home Arena, a source told the Deseret Nets' Eric Woodyard.
The move comes in the wake of Monday's verbal altercation between Jazz fan Shane Keisel and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook. Westbrook described the fan's comments as "racial." Keisel received a permanent ban while Westbrook received a $25,000 fine for his profane comments.
As the discussion about the conduct of NBA spectators continued to roil, footage from an incident in 2018 - also featuring Westbrook - resurfaced. In the clip, a Jazz fan repeatedly called the former MVP "boy," leading Westbrook to ask arena security to intervene.
To Russell Westbrook’s defense, here is even further proof of his previous interactions with Utah Jazz fans. In this video, @russwest44 is called a “boy” by a Jazz fan ahead of Game 4 of OKC’s first-round playoff series against Utah on April 23, 2018 at Vivint Arena. pic.twitter.com/lc6slA7fTo
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 13, 2019
Ahead of Thursday's game against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, Jazz owner Gail Miller addressed the home crowd, decrying poor fan behavior while reaffirming that the arena's code of conduct would continue to be "strictly enforced."
Gail Miller addressed tonight's crowd ahead of tip-off ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nJcmPD2kD4
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 15, 2019
"The Jazz aren't taking these matters lightly," the source told the Deseret News.
In his first media availability after the most recent incident, Westbrook declined to discuss Monday's events further.