(NewsNation) — A group of rabbis was instructed to take down their signs proclaiming “I’m a Jew and I’m Proud,” during the Utah Jazz game on Monday, due to it being a “distraction” to Dallas Mavericks player Kyrie Irving.

Rabbi Avremi Zippel, his brother, father, and a friend sat courtside at the Delta Center to send a message to Irving, who was suspended from the Brooklyn Nets, his team at the time, in 2022 for sharing an antisemitic movie link, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Zippel, who is a lifelong Jazz fan, told the publication that he reviewed the Jazz’s code of conduct and the NBA’s code of conduct to determine if he could bring such signs to the game and thought it would be allowed.

However, during the first quarter, Irving noticed the rabbis and their signs as he approached the sideline for an inbound pass, Zippel said in a post on X.

“He comes by, he looks at the sign, and he says, ‘Nice. I’m a Jew, too,’” Zippel recounted to The Salt Lake Tribune, noting that Irving then showed him a Star of David tattoo he has.

Zippel said he was annoyed by the comment but didn’t want to cause a scene, so he replied: “Nice, happy New Year, buddy.”

Then, Irving became upset and told them, “Don’t gotta bring something like that to the game,” Zippel recalled.

Zippel said from there the incident only escalated, claiming that Irving spoke to security, leading to Jazz officials coming over to check the group’s tickets and telling them to put their signs away.

“That Kyrie Irving is a coward with the spine of a goldfish is not news to me,” Zippel wrote on X after the incident. “That the Mavericks organization covers for him, is sadly, not news to me.”

“I want to be very clear: At no point did we boo Kyrie,” during an interview with Deseret News. “The message was a simple one: I’m a Jew, I’m a proud Jew and I’m here tonight because of what my people have endured.”

The Utah Jazz issued a statement, citing a violation of their audience code of conduct, specifically emphasizing that games should be played “without distraction or disturbance.”

“During an out-of-bounds play in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose sign sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with the play of the game,” the team said.

Jazz officials noted that the employee who told the rabbis that the sign was problematic due to its content was “incorrect.”

In response to the statement, Zippel said: “The Jazz seemed to fully acknowledge that we said nothing to Kyrie (but that) Kyrie walked over, saw the sign and chose to comment on it.”

He added that the “bottom line” is “there was one person in a building of 18,000+ that was triggered by (a) sign that says ‘I’m a Jew and I’m proud.’”

Zippel said he remains a lifelong fan and will continue to support the Utah Jazz.

“My experience with the Jazz over the years has been nothing short of overwhelmingly and incredibly positive and supportive,” he told the Deseret News.