You never know what you’re going to see at a Lakers game in Los Angeles. Celebrities on the sidelines are a regular presence, and they occasionally joke (friendly or not) with the players during games. It’s usually in the spirit of competition, but sometimes things get out of hand.
That’s exactly what happened after halftime in the Lakers’ 122-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, when Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end and Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe was joined by multiple There was a heated exchange among members of the Grizzlies.
The whole thing seemed to kick off when Memphis forward Dillon Brooks said something to Sharpe on his way to the locker room. Sharp couldn’t take it anymore, and motioned for Brooks to come and find him. Grizzlies center Steven Adams then walked toward Sharpe, and a group of players and security began to form. Eventually, Timorant, the father of Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, joined in, and Sharpe turned his attention to him as the two parted ways.
According to ESPN’s Mark Jackson, Timorant said his “blood pressure didn’t go up one bit — except for the love and respect for Shannon Sharpe.”
“They don’t want the smoke,” Sharpe told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin at halftime. “They do all the talking and playing, and I’m not that kind of game. It started with Dillon Brooks. I said he was too young to guard LeBron. He said, ‘F—‘ me. I said ‘F—‘ you’re back. He started coming to me and I said, ‘You don’t want these questions. Then Ja popped up and spoke. He definitely doesn’t want these questions. Then Dad came along and he obviously didn’t want any problems. But I want whatever they have. Don’t let these fools fool you now. “
Cooler heads seemed to prevail as Sharp took his seat in the second half. Later, Sharpe and Timorante were seen embracing at the end of the third quarter.
Brooks responded after the game that Sharp should not have been allowed to stay on the field after the altercation.
Lakers superstar LeBron James expressed his support for Sharp after the win.
“I’ve run 365 days with Shannon, 366 days in leap years, 24/7. That’s my guy,” James said. “I’ll always have his back. He can talk to the best of them, that’s for sure.”
Fortunately, things didn’t escalate to the point of a physical altercation, but it was certainly a night to remember in Los Angeles.