The Utah Jazz organization went in hard on the fan that recently had a highly-publicized verbal altercation with Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook. The team decided to apply a lifetime ban on the fan, which was seen by most as an admirable move by the Jazz geared towards protecting players from abusive supporters.
Jazz sophomore wing Donovan Mitchell was obviously pleased with how his team handled the volatile situation, and the 22-year-old had nothing but good things to say about team owner Gail Miller and her no-nonsense attitude.
Donovan, on Gail Miller's pregame statement: "In this business, to have your owner be so forward, to go out there and back us the way she did, and back Russell [Westbrook], that's amazing. That's the incredible thing about the NBA. As we all know, all sports aren't like that." pic.twitter.com/J88fltDc2v
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) March 15, 2019
This marks the end of this untoward incident, and hopefully, it instigates an initiative from the league to provide better protection for its players. The fans are definitely the life and blood of the NBA, but surely, better measures need to be put in place to make sure that no boundaries are crossed.
Mitchell was obviously buoyed by his employer's actions, and played inspired basketball on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The former Louisville standout led his team to a 120-100 blowout victory against the Wolves, notching a team-high 24 points (on 8-of-17 shooting), one three-pointer, three rebounds, six assists, and a block in 32 minutes of action.
This was a big win for the Jazz, as they continue to hold on to the sixth spot in a highly-competitive Western Conference. However, they are currently tied with the San Antonio Spurs, and are just half a game ahead of the eighth-placed Los Angeles Clippers. It's definitely going to be a fun end to the regular season, with an all out battle for playoff positioning in the West.
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