‘He had a great vision’: Utah Jazz players respond to death of L.A.-based rapper Nipsey Hussle

When rapper Nipsey Hussle — a Grammy-nominated artist from the Los Angeles area — was shot and killed Sunday outside of a clothing store he owned, it had an immediate impact on the NBA community, including the Utah Jazz, with dozens of tributes on social media Sunday night.

At Monday morning’s shootaround, when Jae Crowder and Rudy Gobert explained some of that impact, Hussle’s music was mentioned only in passing. Instead, it was his charity work in the Los Angeles area that brought a bigger response.

“It’s a lot of guys who, well, we have a lot of money obviously. Sometimes we don’t do the right thing with it,” Crowder said. “He was trying to influence the other side of it, to do the right thing with it, and to help your community and help your family, to just do things the right way.”

“He was an African American who came from poverty, and really made something of himself and tried to help the community where he was from,” Crowder said. “Obviously, without even what he does on the music side, him being a mogul and showing kids that you can become something if you come from poverty and that you can change your ways, that’s bigger than what his music stood for — for me, for the world. He was a very positive influence on the community for the kids of L.A.”

Rudy Gobert agreed.

“I think it’s just the impact he had, the vision he had for his community. Not only his community, but other communities, for young kids in the projects and all of that, he had a great vision. It’s just sad,” he said.

Derrick Favors and Donovan Mitchell tweeted about Hussle’s death as well. For Favors, Hussle was the first artist he saw perform live, and also his favorite.

Jazz injury report grows

Derrick Favors and Kyle Korver missed Monday night’s game against the Hornets. Favors, who departed after the first quarter in the Jazz’s last contest against the Wizards, is suffering from back spasms. Meanwhile, Korver is reported to have experienced right knee soreness, explaining his absence.

Raul Neto, who needed three stitches to his lip after a first-half collision against the Wizards, dealt with concussion-like symptoms in the wake of the injury Friday, but passed the tests given to him in time to play in Monday’s game.