Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams in heated court-side confrontation with NFL legend

SKY SPORT

Kiwi NBA star and former NFL player-turned-analyst Shannon Sharpe exchange heated words.

Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams was right in the thick of a courtside confrontation involving an NFL legend during the Memphis Grizzlies’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday (NZ time).

Fox Sports TV personality Shannon Sharpe – a former NFL hall-of-famer – was in a heated conversation with Grizzlies players Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, and Morant’s father, Tee, at the end of the first half of the match at Crypto.Com Arena.

Sharpe exchanged words with Brooks throughout the first half and then yelled at Morant on the final possession of the second quarter. After the halftime buzzer sounded, Brooks yelled at Sharpe and Sharpe motioned towards Brooks.

Morant walked towards Sharpe at his courtside seat before Adams stepped in front of him. Officials struggled to hold the fired-up, towering New Zealander back, as he muscled his way through the congregation and yelled at Sharpe, before eventually turning back to make his way towards the tunnerl.

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Sharpe, 54, had yelled, “I bet you won’t!” at Tee Morant as security guards tried to break things up.

Sharpe told an ESPN reporter at halftime that he was reacting to the Grizzlies’ chatter.

Ashley Landis/AP

Steven Adams was involved in a courtside confrontation in the Memphis Grizzlies’ defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“They do all that talking and jockeying and I ain’t about that jockeying,” Sharpe said. “It started with Dillon Brooks. I said he was too small to guard LeBron.”

The former tight end said Brooks then swore at him, and he swore 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.”

Sharpe and Tee Morant talked to security in the tunnels at the arena before returning to their seats when the second half started. They hugged at the end of the third quarter.

The Grizzlies went on to fall to a 122-121 loss, though Adams put in another fine display, producing a double-double, with 16 points and 17 rebounds.

– Additional reporting A