Jazz post questionable Simu Liu lookalike on scoreboard

During the second quarter of the the Celebrity game, the scoreboard at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City displayed a photo of Liu, the star of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," and a random Asian-American fan, labeled "Celebrity Look-A-Like Cam." 

Aside from the questionable punctuation used, the display seemed to imply that the two men were lookalikes simply due to their ethnic background.

Liu wasn't amused.

Jazz owner Ryan Smith has said he wants to change the perception of Utah with this All-Star Weekend. Some of that is the state's perceived lack of racial diversity - 78% of the population is white, and less than two percent are Black. 

Utah has also passed transphobic legislation, including banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and banning transgender athletes from girls' sports.

All-Star starter and former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell told ESPN that dealing with a series of race-related incidents in Utah "became a lot to have to deal with," whether it was Jazz fans making racial taunts against opposing players, or a public feud with the president of the state Senate about critical race theory. 

He said being a black athlete in Utah was "draining."

Despite the owner's ambitions, the "Look-A-Like Cam" only reinforced the image of Utah as bigoted. 

And it's shame that Liu had to deal with this issue, instead of being celebrated for nailing the game's first 4-point basket.

It's doubtful that fan from the scoreboard has a jumper as pure as Liu's.

That's what the Celebrity Game should be about: Watching superheroes, Peloton instructors and freakishly-athletic All-Pro wide receivers ball out. 

When Albert Pujols is running on a fast break, there's no place for hate.