Suns have fun with vulgar shirts worn by Pelicans crowd

Mar 3, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns definitely late the hate flow through them during Thursday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Some fans at Smoothie King Center showed up for Game 6 of the first-round series in “F— Jae Crowder” shirts, a reference to the Suns forward Crowder.

These Pelicans fans showed up in F*** Jae Crowder shirts 😬

(via @KellanOlson) pic.twitter.com/5XbhvHCevl

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) April 28, 2022

The Suns had some fun with the shirts, as Devin Booker took one of them back to the locker room prior to the game (the fans had some extras with them). Phoenix assistant Jarrett Jack also brought a handful of the shirts with him to the locker room, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

Why the fans chose Crowder as their target is an entirely different question. Crowder is probably Phoenix’s fifth-most important player at best and has never played for New Orleans during his career. Maybe those fans do not care for the way Crowder has treated a notable former Pelicans player.

Whatever the case, the fans succeeded in getting the Suns’ attention with the shirts. The eighth-seeded Pelicans have pushed Phoenix much harder than many expected and have gotten under the Suns’ skin in other ways too.