Shannon Sharpe picked a courtside fight with Grizzlies over defending LeBron James

A bizarre scene played out midway through the Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday night when FS1 talking head (and former NFL wide receiver) Shannon Sharpe got into a courtside shouting match with Grizzlies players and Tee Morant, the father of Memphis star Ja Morant. Security and the referees eventually broke up the scuffle and Sharpe returned to his seat after halftime.

It isn’t every day you see a TV sports commentator start a fight with an entire NBA team, but that’s apparently what happened. The fracas started after Sharpe said he told Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks that he was too small to guard Lakers star LeBron James. Suddenly Morant’s father got involved, and Sharpe had to be separated from angry Grizzlies players.

Here’s video of the incident captured by TV cameras:

Ja Morant also told Sharpe “sit your ass down” just before halftime. Here’s video of the scene from inside the arena detailed by reporters covering the game:

Sharpe explained his side of the story to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. It sure sounds like Sharpe picked a fight with the Grizzlies to defend LeBron. Sharpe is known for his LeBron fandom on his TV show “Undisputed” — where he debates sports topics alongside long-time James critic Skip Bayless.

Here’s Sharpe’s full, incredible quote on what started the shouting match with the Grizzlies:

Here’s what Brooks said about the incident with Sharpe after the game:

Here’s what LeBron said about Sharpe after the game:

UPDATE: Sharpe issued this apology on Monday:

This is how the beat reporters in the arena initially detailed what was happening:

The Grizzlies never back down from a verbal challenge. Sharpe never hesitates to defend James’ honor. This scene is so on-brand for both sides that it’s comical.

We’ll update this story as it develops.