New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Judge Dismisses $100M Heckler Lawsuit Against Russell Westbrook

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A Utah judge reportedly dismissed a $100M defamation lawsuit against Russell Westbrook and the Jazz after two fans were banned for taunting the then-Thunder player.

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A Utah judge dismissed the $100 million lawsuit against Russell Westbrook and the Jazz on Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by ESPN. 

The two fans, Shane Keisel and Jennifer Huff, were banned from Utah's games after taunting the nine-time All-Star when he was a member of the Thunder in March 2019. They claimed defamation and infliction of emotional distress in their lawsuit. 

According to Westbrook, they made racially insensitive comments towards him, including saying "get on your knees like you're used to." Keisel in turn claimed he actually said "ice those knees up" and his words were "the same kind and caliber as that of the other audience members in the section." 

Westbrook was seen in a video saying "I'll f--k you up," to the two fans, and the NBA fined him $25,000 "for directing profanity and threatening language to a fan."

This wasn't the first or the last time Westbrook experienced heckling. He was fined after slapping a phone out of a fan's hand during the 2018 NBA playoffs. And on Wednesday, a fan poured popcorn on the current Wizards star just before he exited the floor after sustaining an apparent ankle injury during Game 2 of Washington's series against Philadelphia.

The Sixers fan involved in the Westbrook incident had his season ticket membership revoked and was subsequently banned from future events at Wells Fargo Center.

Poor behavior from spectators continues to be an issue across the league. The Jazz ejected three fans on Wednesday night for heckling the family of Grizzlies star Ja Morant during Game 2 of the Utah/Memphis series, according to The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen. They will be banned indefinitely. 

Additionally, the Knicks banned one of their fans for spitting on Hawks star Trae Young. The team said in a statement Thursday they "investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young, and for that reason, he is now banned from The Garden indefinitely."

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