Media Personality Shannon Sharpe Apologizes For Incident At Lakers-Grizzlies Game

Sharpe takes the blame for nearly getting into an altercation with the Memphis Grizzlies
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 Media personality Shannon Sharpe apologized Monday for his behavior at last week's Memphis Grizzles-Los Angeles Lakers game. 

Last Friday Sharpe got into an altercation with several of the Grizzlies players and the father of Memphis guard Ja Morant. Sharpe addressed the incident on the show "Undisputed" on Fox Sports 1. 

"I want to apologize for my behavior," Sharpe said. "I've preached for the last six and a half years responsibility and accountability. I take full responsibility for what transpired. 

LeBron James said he still respects Sharpe after the incident. 

 “I ride with Shannon 365 days — 366 on a leap year — 24/7," James said. "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.”

The argument started courtside when Sharpe and Dillon Brooks exchanged words but then tensions rose when center Steven Adams and the entire Grizzlies team charged at Sharpe, quickly prompting Tee Morant to get involved. The situation got so tense security and staff had to break everyone apart.

After the game, Sharpe discussed the incident with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“They didn’t want this smoke, Dave,” Sharpe told ESPN. “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, ‘F***’ me. I said, ‘F*** you’ back. He started to come at me and I said, ‘You don’t want these problems.’

Sharpe is a longtime supporter and friend of James, who played with the Miami Heat from 2010-14.

“And then Ja came out of nowhere talking," Sharpe said. "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.”

Tee Morant regularly attends Grizzlies games in support of his son, even appearing in videos which have gone viral on social media. In the third quarter, Tee Morant approached Sharpe to settle the drama. They shook hands and laughed it off. Morant told Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes him and Sharpe “are good” and he has “nothing but love for him”.

The Lakers defeated the Grizzlies 122-121, ending an 11-game win streak.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here