LOS ANGELES — NBA fans love drama, and the Memphis Grizzlies’ narrow loss in Los Angeles on Friday night provided it both on the court in a close game and on the sideline, where Fox Sports TV host Shannon Sharpe jeered Grizzlies players all night.
Sharpe’s jeering got a little too aggressive at one point toward Grizzlies center Steven Adams and wing Dillon Brooks, resulting in Sharpe being sent off the court for a moment before later returning to his seats. The whole thing became a bit surreal and silly, said host Joe Mullinax on a Monday edition of the Locked On Grizzlies podcast.
“(Steven Adams) is one of the largest human beings that I’ve ever been in the presence of. And while Shannon Sharpe stays in remarkable shape, he’s in his 50s, Adams is 29, that would be a pretty short fight, in my opinion,” said Mullinax. “But it wasn’t really going to be a fight anyway, it was trash talk that kind of went over the edge and probably became more promotional tool for Shannon Sharpe and Undisputed than anything.”
Sharpe gave a lengthy apology on-air Monday on his Fox Sports show, Undisputed.
“I take full responsibility for what transpired,” Sharpe said. “It does not matter what Dillon Brooks said or how many times he said it. … I was wrong.”
Sharpe went on to apologize to Grizzlies players by name including star guard Ja Morant. He also apologized to the organization, the fans, LeBron James and his family, among others.
Still, Mullinax argued on Locked On Grizzlies, it signals a level of relevancy the Grizzlies have not had during the history of the franchise.
“It is evidence as much as anything that the Memphis Grizzlies have arrived,” Mullinax said. “(People) are spending valuable energy concerning themselves with the events and activities of the Memphis Grizzlies. That has never happened before in the history of the Memphis Grizzlies.”
Getting the attention of a popular former athlete and media personality like Sharpe on the Lakers’ home court certainly feels different than Grizzlies teams of the past.