The Memphis Grizzlies have a reputation as scrappy and tough, and on Friday one NFL Hall-of-Famer was close to finding out how willing to get into a tussle they and even some of their relatives are.
One of the marquee matchups on the NBA schedule last night was a game on ESPN between one of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the always-popular Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the major divide between them in the NBA standings, fans inside the Crypto.com Arena got one heck of a game. As the hobbled Lakers stayed competitive all night and used an impressive 41-point fourth quarter to upend the Grizzlies 122-121.
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However, in spite of a highly entertaining game on the court, and the latest installment of Lebron James’ march to breaking the NBA all-time scoring record, the most notable moment of the game actually occurred at the end of the second quarter and included a mouthy NFL Hall-of-Famer almost fighting several Grizzlies players.
Shannon Sharpe and Memphis Grizzlies players have near fight on court
As the broadcast for the Friday night ESPN game returned following a half-time break, it was revealed that immediately following the end of the second quarter Grizzlies player Dillon Brooks exchanged words with a spectator sitting courtside. However, this wasn’t your average well-to-do NBA fan, it was FOX Sports talking head, and 2011 NFL Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe.
Footage (which can be seen above) showed Sharpe actually challenging Brooks to confront him face-to-face on the court. However, the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens great forgot that Brooks has a six-foot-eleven teammate in Steven Adams who is willing to defend his teammates and throwdown when needed.
Adams had to be held back by quite a few team staff and Crypto.com Arena security. Yet that did not deter Sharpe, however, and he continued to trash talk. It eventually led to Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant and several other players getting involved and needing to be held back. Then, even more shockingly, Morant’s father Tee — who often attends Memphis games — left his seat at courtside to jaw at the NFL legend.
It was an odd scene that fortunately never came to actual blows but was a classic “only in the NBA” sort of moment. No Memphis Grizzlies players were ejected for the dust-up and fines are unlikely to be coming their way. However, Shannon Sharpe having an easy return to the Arena in the future has to be in question.