Jazz owner Gail Miller sent a clear message to fans prior to Utah's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Following a verbal altercation on Monday between Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and a Jazz fan, Miller re-enforced the NBA's code of conduct.
"I feel it's important to take this opportunity to express my thoughts and concerns about the unfortunate event that happened Monday night," Miller told the crowd. "I am extremely disappointed that one of our 'fans' conducted himself in such a way to offend not only a guest in our arena, but also me personally, my family, our organization, the community, our players and you, the best fans in the NBA. This should never happen. We are not a racist community. We believe in treating people with courtesy and respect as human beings."
She added, "We have a code of conduct in this arena. It will be strictly enforced."
On Monday, Westbrook got into a heated exchange with a fan, saying, “I’ll fuck you up. You and your wife.” Westbrook said the incident began when the man and his wife told him “to get down on [his] knees like you used to.” Westbrook said of the interaction, "To me, that’s just completely disrespectful. To me, I think it’s racial, and I think it’s inappropriate and insensitive."
The fan was subsequently banned for life.
Westbrook took a hit too, and was fined $25,000 for “directing profanity and threatening language to a fan.”
