BY TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball writer
MIAMI (AP) – Former Utah striker Elijah Millsap said Friday he hadn’t heard from investigators about his claim that jazz manager Dennis Lindsey gave him a big comment during an end-of-season meeting in 2015 .
Millsap also expressed doubts that a fair investigation could be conducted into his allegation that Lindsey, who was then general manager of the team and is now executive vice president, threatened to cut his “black ass” and send him home .
Millsap made the claim in a tweet on Wednesday. The Jazz responded Thursday by stating that they would bring in an outside attorney to conduct a thorough investigation, and the NBA will also be part of that investigation.
“Of course I know my truth,” Millsap said in an interview with The Associated Press. “An outside attorney or someone, all they can do is try to stir it up and make it look like I’m lying. I basically did it to get rid of torture, to get hold of things, to free myself, not to feel bad about Dennis Lindsey, and not to make him look like a racist. I don’t think he’s a racist, but I know what he said to me. “
NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league’s involvement on Friday.
“We take allegations of discrimination seriously, and we also take the defendants’ rights to trial seriously, which is why we are conducting an extensive investigation,” said Silver, in coordination with the Utah Jazz. “
Millsap played 67 games for jazz over two seasons. The incident in question came from an April 2015 exit meeting that Millsap – the brother of long-time eminent Paul Millsap from Utah – also attended jazz trainer Quin Snyder.
Millsap said he remembered being “energetic” at that meeting and eager to see what Lindsey and Snyder would say to him.
“I was expecting great feedback,” said Millsap. “And then it got worse.”
Millsap said, Lindsey said to him, “If you say one more word, I’ll cut your black ass and send you back to Louisiana.”
Millsap met with reporters shortly after leaving the meeting with Snyder and Lindsey and showed no signs of agitation. He was lifted from Jazz in January 2016, a day before the rest of his contract would have been guaranteed for that season, he said. Such steps are not uncommon in non-guaranteed deals.
Lindsey declined to comment. Snyder has said he has no memory of it and again defended Lindsey on Friday before the Jazz hit Miami.
“I’ve never heard anything near Dennis,” said Snyder. “I didn’t hear anything like I said anywhere near it and I know him and his character. And I also think that if something like this were ever said I would be sensitive to these issues and would remember them. “
Millsap only appeared in two more NBA games after the Jazz passed him up, and said he believed the team didn’t speak well of him when other teams asked about his background. He said he still trains several hours a day and would like to continue his career as a player.
Millsap said he didn’t have a specific solution that would satisfy him.
“These guys had an opportunity to tell people the truth about who I was,” said Millsap. “And they didn’t. This is disgusting to me. “
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