On a noticeably ugly night in the NBA playoffs, multiple Utah Jazz fans spewed vile language at members of Ja Morant's family during Game 2 versus the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Jazz quickly and proactively responded on Thursday by banning three fans for what was delicately described as a “verbal altercation”:

Observers of the incident said the vile invective was directed — at least in part — toward Morant's wife. This greatly overshadowed the win by the Jazz. It reminded everyone who closely follows NBA basketball that Salt Lake City remains a place where fan behavior keeps crossing the line.

It is worth remembering that before the pandemic, Russell Westbrook — when still a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder — was the recipient of filthy and abusive language from a Jazz fan in Salt Lake City. That fan was subsequently received a lifetime ban from attending Utah games in SLC.

It is profoundly disturbing that on the same night when Jazz fans made national headlines for all the wrong reasons, Westbrook himself was on the receiving end of yet more ugly fan behavior, this time in Philadelphia during Game 2 of the Washington Wizards' playoff series against the 76ers.

The Jazz (with Ja Morant being involved in an incident) and Russell Westbrook (against the 76ers in Philadelphia) didn't even constitute the full amount of unsettling and appalling fan incidents on Wednesday in the NBA playoffs. A third incident occurred in New York's Madison Square Garden. A Knicks fan spat on Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.

The 76ers and Knicks banned the specific fans who were involved in those deeply revolting and outrageous actions toward Westbrook and Young, respectively. All three NBA teams — Sixers, Knicks, and Jazz — did what they had to do.

These incidents — not just with Jazz fans (though that will remain a big story in the NBA community) — all bring forth a simple point: Fans being away from sports arenas for a year or more has not been a sure and certain safeguard against bad behavior. It was with us before the pandemic, and it is still here.

One hopes that more fans will soon appreciate the joy and fun of attending live sporting events, instead of viewing a courtside seat as a license to rain invective on athletes just trying to do their jobs… and to harass family members who are simply trying to enjoy the fact that one of their loved ones has made it big in the NBA.