Former Utah Jazz forward Elijah Millsap has not yet heard from NBA investigators since the league announced it was looking into his claims against Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey, and he apparently does not expect much to come from the probe.
Millsap spoke with the Associated Press on Friday, one day after he alleged on Twitter that Lindsey said “I’ll cut your Black ass and send you back to Louisiana” to him during an exit interview in 2015. Lindsey, currently the Jazz’s vice president of basketball operations, has denied saying any such thing.
Now 33 years old, Millsap said he suspects the NBA’s investigation could make him look like a liar. He also said he does not believe Lindsey is a racist, even though he stands by his claim of what Lindsey said.
From the AP:
“Obviously, I know my truth,” Millsap said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Some outside counsel or somebody, all they can do is just try to stir it up and make it me look as if I’m lying. I did it basically to free myself from the torture of holding things in, to free myself, not to make Dennis Lindsey feel bad and not to make him look like a racist. I don’t feel he is a racist, but I do know what he said to me.”
The interview in question occurred in April 2015 when Lindsey was the team’s general manager and Millsap had just finished his second season in the NBA. Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and current general manager Justin Zanik were also reportedly in the meeting.
Millsap’s account of the incident, via the AP:
Millsap said he remembers being “high energy” going into that meeting and eager to hear what Lindsey and Snyder would say to him.
“I was expecting great feedback,” Millsap said. “And then it took a turn for the worse.”
Millsap said Lindsey told him, “If u say one more word, I’ll cut your Black ass and send you back to Louisiana.”
Snyder told reporters after the allegation was levied that he does not recall the conversation, but said he would be “shocked” if Lindsey had said something along those lines.
Millsap, the brother of former Jazz forward Paul Millsap, averaged 1.8 points in 8.7 minutes across 20 games for the Jazz that season, and did not return to the team the following year. He would appear in only two more NBA games in his career. Millsap told the AP he believes the team did not speak highly about him when approached by other teams looking into him.
Lindsey and the Jazz both reportedly encouraged the NBA to look into Millsap’s allegation, with the team retaining outside counsel to assist the league investigation. One reported point of interest will be the detailed notes Zanik took during the meeting, which were later added to a team database.
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