Photo Courtesy of Dave McMenamin / Twitter
Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe was ready to duke it out with a couple of Memphis Grizzlies players at Friday night’s game against the Los Angles Lakers.
During the end of the first half, the Undisputed co-host got into a heated argument with some of the Grizzlies members. According to ESPN, Sharpe and Grizzlies’ small forward Dillon Brooks argued throughout the game’s first half. He began arguing with Grizzlies’ point guard Ja Morant at the end of the second half. Things exacerbated after the halftime buzzer rang when Brooks shouted obscene words at Sharpe, who motioned and yelled for the forward to “come get it.”
Morant started to approach Sharpe before center Steven Adams crossed in front of his teammate to exchange words with the former NFL player. Adams, a six-foot-eleven man, had to be held back by a couple of staff members. One security guard at the Crypto.com arena could be seen trying to restrain Adams and yelled for guards to get Sharpe out of there. Morant’s father, Tee Morant, had to be held back after walking toward Sharpe, who also turned his anger toward Tee, pointing while yelling at him, “I bet you won’t.”
Brooks spoke with reporters in the locker room, making it clear he didn’t want to discuss the fight and suggested they ask Sharpe about it.
“He’s the blogger or whatever he is,” he stated, requesting the next question.
Sharpe explained to ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin what led to the altercation at the game.
“They didn’t want this smoke,” Sharpe said. “They do all the talking and jockeying, and I ain’t about that jockeying. It started with Dillon Brooks. I said he was too small to guard LeBron (James). He said, ‘F**k’ me. I said ‘F**k you’ back. He started to come at me, and I said, ‘You don’t want these problems.’ And then Ja came out of nowhere talking. He definitely didn’t want these problems. Then the dad came, and he obviously didn’t want no problems. But I wanted anything they had. Don’t let these fools fool you now.”
Brooks confirmed that Sharpe’s Lebron comment started the feud, adding that he told Sharpe the Lakers player missed the shot. When asked if Brooks thought it was acceptable for fans to argue with players, Brooks shook his head and called Sharpe a “regular pedestrian.”
“A regular pedestrian like him? No,” Brooks responded. “Should’ve never came back in the game, but…it’s LA.”
Sharpe spent halftime in the tunnels before returning to his seat. He and Tee reconciled later on, hugging it out and smiling.