NBA - Blazers, Jusuf Nurkic sued after altercation with Pacers fan

Last March, Jusuf Nurkic found himself at the center of an altercation with a Pacers fan, which ended with the latter's cell phone being thrown by the Blazers center into the stands. The Indianapolis Star reports today that the fan in question has decided to take the matter to court.

The man in question has also sued Yahoo! Sports reporter Chris Haynes for reporting that the fan allegedly made derogatory comments about the basketball player's mother and grandmother (the latter of whom died of Covid two years ago...).

The lawyer of the man, lacrosse coach in a high school in Indiana, ensures that his client at no time has "insulted, commented or mentioned the mother or grandmother of Nurkic. And that he "did not do or say anything inappropriate during or after the game," settling for light or even "humorous" comments.

According to the lawsuit filed, the Blazers would then try to "combat the negative publicity associated with the conduct" of their player and, "to minimize or justify" his behavior, would "construct a lie" by resorting to family insults.

After this incident, the man claims he was harassed and received death threats. The police patrolled his school. He also explains in his complaint that he almost lost his job because of these "defamatory misrepresentations." Because of the "reputational damage" he claims to have suffered as a result of the lawsuit, compensation is obviously being sought.