"If I wish a muthaf#ck* would was a person!" - LeBron James backs up Shannon Sharpe after spat with Ja Morant’s father during NBA game
Shannon Sharpe was sitting courtside at the NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, and out of nowhere, he was arguing with the entire Grizzlies team before halftime - he also had words with Tee Morant, the father of Memphis' star player Ja Morant.
Shannon Sharpe and the Grizzlies shared words during Grizzlies-Lakers. https://t.co/ziOPY5Z8ZN
Sharpe and Morant's father had to be separated during the spat - other players who argued with the former tight end included Steven Adams and Dillon Brooks. After discussions, both guys hugged it out during the third quarter and everything was fine.
But the incident did not go unnoticed. A reporter asked Sharpe what happened to originate the spat and the current host for Fox Sports' The Undisputed gave his version of the facts:
"He started to come at me and I said, 'You don't want these problems,'" Sharpe told McMenamin. "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."
The Lakers pulled off an incredible 122-121 win, and star LeBron James took to Instagram to defend Shannon using a meme. LeBron finished the game with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Shannon Sharpe has had a rough start to the year
It's been a rough start to 2023 for the former NFL star as he was also involved in a discussion with fellow Undisputed host Skip Bayless over an insensitive tweet made by Bayless after Damar Hamlin's injury during a Monday Night Football game.
Shannon argued live with Bayless after he missed Tuesday's show following Skip's tweet. He's back on the show now and he's been spotted in many NBA games courtside, particularly when the Lakers are involved.
He's a former tight end who was nominated to the Pro Bowl eight times. He's a three-time Super Bowl champion, twice with the Denver Broncos and once with the Baltimore Ravens. He's also a five-time All-Pro and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. He retired from the NFL in 2003.