NFL legend and current sports commentator Shannon Sharpe is one of the most vocal supporters of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Pro Football Hall of Famer got involved in a heated dispute with the Memphis Grizzlies from his courtside seat on Friday night.
As the first half ended with the Lakers trailing 53-49, Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks and Sharpe exchanged words from across the court, and Steven Adams and Ja Morant soon came over to join the argument. The situation had to be de-escalated by a mob of trainers and security.
Sharpe told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the Grizzlies “didn’t want this smoke.” The Lakers went on to snap the Grizzlies’ 11-game winning streak.
Via ESPN:
“They didn’t want this smoke, Dave. They do all that talking and jockeying and I ain’t about that jockeying. It started with Dillon Brooks. I said he was too small to guard LeBron. He said, ‘[expletive] me’. I said, ‘[expletive] 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.”
Here’s what players and NBA fans were saying about the moment:
LeBron on Shannon Sharpe: “I ride with Shannon 365 days — 366 on a leap year — 24/7. So that’s my guy. I always got his back. And he’s got mine. He can talk with the best of them, for sure.” pic.twitter.com/bAHMuPZkix
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 21, 2023
They better quit playing with unc @ShannonSharpe he ain’t going for nun of dat🤣
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 21, 2023
"And guess what, Shannon? You were looking **small** next to Steven Adams. I saw the fear in your eyes." pic.twitter.com/3sIPIgg2Td
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) January 21, 2023
Shannon Sharpe made sure refs got the right call late out of bounds
Unc wasn't gonna let that slide 😭 pic.twitter.com/KyErAUkt75
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 21, 2023
I think @ShannonSharpe should be at every Lakers home game talking smack. Seems to work
— Matthew Peralta (@_MatthewPeralta) January 21, 2023
Shannon Sharpe is wearing an elite button-up cardigan tonight. Need to know the brand.
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) January 21, 2023
It's all love between Shannon Sharpe and Tee Morant. pic.twitter.com/iSNeikINp1
— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2023
THE LAKERS ARE UNDEFEATED SINCE THIS. THANK YOU @SHANNONSHARPE 🙌 pic.twitter.com/CNPx2R7joz
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) January 21, 2023
Shannon Sharpe: “You want some of this?”
Tee Morant: pic.twitter.com/j1Ytdr0w7B
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) January 21, 2023
I’ll tell you this much, if it was you or me and not Shannon Sharpe picking a fight with an entire team we’d be banned from ever attending an NBA game ever again before the video hit twitter. pic.twitter.com/IXDjyOOHMq
— Al Smizzle (@AlZeidenfeld) January 21, 2023
Dillon Brooks on if it was appropriate for Shannon Sharpe to have a back-and-forth with the Grizzlies: “A regular pedestrian like him? No. He shouldn’t have ever came back in the game. But it’s LA.” pic.twitter.com/tf2NFaXyqe
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 21, 2023
Skip Bayless got my guy Shannon Sharpe walking around unhinged and ready to take it out on whole NBA rosters in broad daylight 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— 73-9 and THEY LIED (@CuffsTheLegend) January 21, 2023
