SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Group have permanently banned a fan from all events at Vivint Smart Home Arena according to a post on the team's Twitter account.
During the Jazz's 98-89 Monday night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook and a fan got into a vocal altercation.
This isn't the first time Westbrook has had issues with the fan base in Utah. During last season's playoff series between the teams, Westbrook called fans "disrespectful" following the Thunder's Game 6 loss in Salt Lake City.
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell responded to Westbrook's comments last season, saying these incidents happen everywhere, not just in Utah.
Following last night's incident, Mitchell tweeted he was "personally hurt by the incident."
"As a black man living in a community I love, and playing on a team that gives me the opportunity to live out my dreams, this incident hits close to home," Mitchell said on Twitter. "Racism and hate speech hurts us all, and this is not the first time something like this has happened in our arena."
Mitchell also said the Utah he knows is "welcoming and inclusive and last night's incident is not indicative of our fanbase."
He also thanked the team and NBA for responding quickly to the incident and said he joins other NBA players in calling on the teams to take a stand against hate speech and racist acts in arenas.
Mitchell's full tweet is included below.
Westbrook was also fined $25,000 by the NBA Tuesday afternoon.
