Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller is speaking out after a Jazz fan got into a verbal altercation with Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook on Monday. Prior to Thursday’s game, Miller read a speech urging fans to treat opposing teams with respect and dignity. [Best bracket wins $1M: Enter our Best Bracket Millionaire contest for free now!] Miller’s speech lasted roughly three and a half minutes. She began by addressing the “unfortunate” event that took place Monday night. Gail Miller addressed tonight's crowd ahead of tip-off ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nJcmPD2kD4 — Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 15, 2019 Miller spoke about the issue directly, saying the fan disrespected everyone involved, from Westbrook, to Jazz players, to the fans. She added that “this should never happen” before saying “we are not a racist community.” She then laid out her expectations for fans moving forward. She encouraged them to be passionate and cheer for the Jazz, but to also treat the opposition with respect. “Everyone who comes here, visiting teams included, deserves the right and the expectation to be treated with dignity at all times,” she said. Gail Miller told Jazz fans to treat opposing players with respect. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Miller finished by telling fans to hold themselves and those around them to the highest level of decency. She again stressed the importance of cheering for the Jazz and not demeaning the opposing team before finishing the speech by saying, “No one wins when respect goes away.” That statement was met with applause from fans and players. Since the incident, the fan has been banned for life by the team. In the wake of the incident, NBA teams are being pushed by the league to create PSAs on the “importance of respect and civility in NBA arenas.” - - - - - - - Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik Story continues More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>On Monday night, Russell Westbrook had yet another altercation with Jazz fans -- marking the third time he's expressed frustration in Vivint Smart Home Arena. Westbrook, who said that the fan used racist connotations toward him, proceeded to threaten to fight both the man and his wife. While the incident was initially painted as Westbrook acting out, the Jazz fan ultimately came out looking like a liar, and Donovan Mitchell spoke out against the fan. The fan would be banned, and plans to sue Westbrook in retaliation. The Thunder star, meanwhile, incurred a $25,000 fine. On Thursday night, Jazz owner Gail Miller made it perfectly clear that the Jazz don't condone the fan's action, giving a speech prior to the game. "I am extremely disappointed that one of our quote 'fans' conducted himself in such a way as to offend not only a guest in our arena, but also me personally, my family, our organization, the community, our players, and you as the best fans in the NBA," Miller said. "This shouldn't happen," she added. "We are not a racist community." "... When bad incidents like Monday night happen, it not only affects the player it's directed at, it also affects our players," she said later. "Other teams are not our enemies. They are our competition. Competition is a good thing." The Jazz, back in action on Saturday against the Nets (9 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension), have made it clear they're unequivocally backing Westbrook in the situation, and they clearly plan on cracking down on fans' interactions with players to ensure they're respectful. Miller's emphasis on opposing players not being enemies is a welcome reminder for many fanbases, and her speech was met with cheers from Jazz fans and praise from the broadcast.<doc-sep>Jazz owner Gail Miller delivers a message to fans after Monday's incident between a fan and Russell Westbrook, saying, "We are not a racist community." (1:39) Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller addressed the crowd before Thursday's game to underscore the team's willingness to enforce the NBA's code of conduct following Monday's incident involving Russell Westbrook and a fan who crossed the line. Miller spoke for about 3½ minutes before the Jazz faced the Minnesota Timberwolves and asked fans to look out for potential repeats of the shouting match that led Utah to issue fan Shane Keisel a lifetime ban. "I am extremely disappointed that one of our quote 'fans' conducted himself in such a way as to offend not only a guest in our arena, but also me personally, my family, our organization, the community, our players and you, as the best fans in the NBA," Miller said. "This should never happen. We are not a racist community. We believe in treating people with courtesy and respect as human beings. From time to time, individual fans exhibit poor behavior and forget their manners and disrespect players on other teams. When that happens, I want you to jump up and shout 'stop.' We have a code of conduct in this arena. It will be strictly enforced." Video of Westbrook saying, "I'll f--- you up" to Keisel while standing near the end of the Thunder bench during the second quarter went viral after being posted on Twitter. Westbrook said after the game that it was an emotional reaction to Keisel telling him, "Get on your knees like you're used to," a comment Westbrook considered "completely disrespectful" and "racial." Jazz owner Gail Miller asked fans to show respect to all teams. Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports The Jazz permanently banned the fan from their games, and the NBA fined Westbrook $25,000. "Other teams are not our enemies. They are our competition," Miller said. "Competition is a good thing. It allows players to showcase their talents, and it allows fans to encourage, appreciate, cheer for and enjoy those who share their talents with us." Earlier in the day, Miller sent an email to fans on the team's mailing list with instructions to send a text message to the arena if they should see anyone violating the conduct code. "We do not permit hate speech, racism, sexism or homophobia," the email said. "We also do not allow disruptive behavior, including bullying, foul or abusive language, or obscene gestures. Violators may be subject to ejection and other penalties, including a lifetime ban." Another email to season-ticket holders said the team can revoke those tickets regardless of who is sitting in those seats for a particular game.<doc-sep>
Utah Jazz Owner Gail Miller assured the country that Utah is “not a racist community,” in the wake of an incident between a fan and Oklahoma City Thunder player Russell Westbrook. Ahead of the match-up between the Jazz and the Timberwolves at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Miller took the mic to tell those in attendance that she abhors the incident between the player and a Jazz fan, TMZ reported. “I am extremely disappointed that one of our, quote, ‘fans’ conducted himself in such a way as to offend not only a guest in our arena, but also me personally, my family, our organization, the community, our players, and you as the best fans in the NBA,” Miller said over the mic. “This should never happen. We are not a racist community,” she added. Miller also pointed out that there is a “code of conduct” in the arena and she intends to strictly enforce it. “No one wins when respect goes away,” Miller told the crowd. The incident that sparked Miller’s reply occurred on March 11 when Russell Westbrook threatened to beat up a Jazz fan in the stands. At the end of the second quarter, Westbrook began shouting from the bench at a fan in the stands. A video of the incident show Westbrook repeatedly saying, “I’ll f*ck you up! You and your wife!” Things get heated between Russell Westbrook and Utah Jazz fans again. “I’ll f*ck you up. You and your wife,” he says. Not sure what these fans said to him, but he also had issues with Jazz fans during the postseason. pic.twitter.com/LquwRmLVNy — Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 12, 2019 Westbrook insisted that the fan was yelling racist taunts at him and he refused to apologize for threatening the fan. He was later fined $25k for “directing profanity and threatening language to a fan.” For his part, the fan involved in the altercation, Shane Keisel, denied that he swore at Westbrook or made any type of inappropriate racial comment. He has been banned for life. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.