Jusuf Nurkic subject to disgraceful comments about his family before confronting Pacers' fan / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

The Indiana Pacers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 129-98 on Sunday night. After the loss, Jusuf Nurkic got into an altercation with a Pacers fan, which ended in the Blazers center throwing the fan’s phone towards the stands.

Jusuf Nurkic

MIN:28.19PTS:15.04 (58.23%)REB:11.07As:2.8ST:1.11BL:0.61TO:2.55GM:56ProfileNBA2021/2022

Nurkic got fined $40,000 for his postgame actions and the NBA announced the decision Tuesday afternoon.

Shortly after the fine was publicized, news broke that Nurkic’s actions weren’t the result of typical heckling. The fan made things personal and insulted Nurkic’s mother and late grandmother.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweeted the update shortly after the NBA’s announcement.

The fan allegedly called Nurkic’s mother "trash" and his grandmother a "bitch" before the Portland center confronted him.

As Haynes mentioned, Nurkic’s grandmother passed away from COVID-19 in 2020. She contracted the virus over the summer, and Nurkic announced her passing via Instagram in mid-August of 2020. Since then, the center has made multiple posts to honor and remember her.

The league punished Nurkic for his actions, but there has been no word on any action taken against the Pacers fan.

A similar yet less intense situation happened just last week when Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook felt the need to stand up for himself when a fan called him "Westbrick" last Thursday. The incident didn't result in any of the two being sanctioned.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.