“Worst Place to Play In”: Betrayed During Playoffs, Paul George’s Ex-Teammate Recounts Bitter Encounter

There is something with the Utah Jazz’s Delta Center that repels NBA stars. Over the years, there have been multiple players who have expressed their dislike of playing at Utah’s home ground. And they all have had their own reasons, the most common of which is the Utah fanbase allegedly being toxic. Speaking on somewhat different yet the same lines, ex-NBA star Raymond Felton has also stated his disappointment playing at Utah from the time he and Paul George were in Oklahoma City Thunder.

“That’s the worst place to play in,” Felton stated, appearing on the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast. This came after Felton recollected an incident from the time he was in OKC and the team was in a faceoff against Utah at their home ground. The incident involved his ex-teammate from OKC, Paul George, attempting a shot, but Rudy Gobert committed a foul on him. And what happened after would be no less than betrayal for some, as the playoffs were at stake.

And it was after this recollection that he mentioned Utah as the worst place to play. He also spotlighted how players are talked to over there is crazy. And what’s even more frustrating for the 39-year-old is that there is not much you could do about it. Notably, there have been others as well who despise playing at Utah.

Other NBA stars who cannot stand Utah Jazz fanbase

A majority section of the basketball community considers Utah’s fanbase among the most toxic ones in the league. And the most popular rivalry of a player against this fanbase is that of Vernon Maxwell. Though he does not have any personal grudge against the team itself, his hate against the fanbase is real. And he has never been too subtle about this on any chance he has got to lash on the fans. The most recent one came after his former team, Houston Rockets, defeated the Jazz in a recent game by 100-101.

The 2x NBA champion could not let the opportunity go and launched a scathing attack against the Utah fans. “Tell their as*es use as muuuuuuuuuuch Wi-Fi as they can in that arena to cry about that loss. I know they don’t have none once they walk out of there,” he posted on X. It is worth mentioning that Maxwell has been taking shots at the fanbase through his tweets ever since 2017.

Appearing on the Rex Chapman Show back in 2021, the 2x NBA champion recollected the match that built his hatred towards Utah fans. “The people out there, they abused me. Talk about my mama, my grandma, talk about the stillborn; they call me the N-word. You see what they did to Ja Morant and his mom and dad,” he stated.

However, this is not the only instance of Jazz fans crossing the line. From racial comments against Russel Westbrook to booing their own former player Derek Fisher, the fanbase has earned a bad name for itself. And there have been multiple other such instances as well. What is your take on this? Do you think Utah Jazz has the worst fanbase in the NBA? Let us know your views in the comments.