The Utah Jazz sit atop the NBA standings and look like a legitimate contender this season, but there might be bigger problems on the horizon. Coming off a blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey is under investigation for bigotry.
Lindsey was hired as Utah’s general manager in 2012, taking over team operations after serving as the assistant general manager from the San Antonio Spurs (2007-’12). Now, he finds himself under the microscope after a former player accused him of verbal abuse and using bigoted language during an end-of-season meeting.
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Utah Jazz VP Dennis Lindsey accused of bigotry by former player
Elijah Millsap, who played with the Jazz from 2015-’16, recently shared an alleged incident that occurred during an exit interview with Lindsey in 2015. The meeting took place in April 2015, following Utah’s season, where Lindsey allegedly threatened Millsap and used bigoted language during the interview.
Following Millsap’s tweets, the NBA is launching an investigation into the allegations. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team has hired outside counsel to assist the league in its inquiry. The end-of-season meeting reportedly included head coach Quin Snyder, general manager Justin Zanik and Lindsey.
The Jazz have also released a statement following the allegations against Lindsey.
“The Jazz organization has zero tolerance for discriminatory behavior of any kind. We take these matters seriously. We have proactively engaged outside counsel to work in coordination with the NBA to thoroughly investigate this matter. The Jazz organization has zero tolerance for discriminatory behavior of any kind. We take these matters seriously. We have proactively engaged outside counsel to work in coordination with the NBA to thoroughly investigate this matter”
Utah Jazz statement on allegations against Dennis Lindsey, via ESPN
Every NBA team conducts a meeting with each of its players at the conclusion of their season. In Utah’s case, per ESPN, they take detailed notes of who attends the session and what is said, a process they started when Lindsey was hired in 2012.
While Elijah Millsap only played two seasons for the Jazz, his family has roots in the organization. Paul Millsap, a four-time NBA All-Star, was drafted by Utah in 2006 and starred with
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