Protester chains herself to basket during Game 1 of Grizzlies-Timberwolves playoff series

Play was interrupted during Game 1 of the first-round NBA playoff series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday after a fan chained herself to the basket as part of a protest.

The fan appeared during a stoppage in play in the second quarter with yellow chains. She tried to secure herself to the stanchion after throwing flyers on the floor. She wore a T-shirt that read: "Glen Taylor Roasts Animals Alive."

Security unchained the woman and five people carried her out of the main arena to the cheers of fans inside FedExForum.

It was a similar shirt to the one a protester wore during Tuesday's play-in game between the Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers in Minneapolis. The woman in that protest tried to glue her hand to the court before security removed her.

According to a press release, Direct Action Everywhere, a grassroots animal rights network, claimed responsibility for Saturday's protest. The release named Zoe Rosenberg as the woman who chained herself to the basket.

The release stated that the two protests were in response to an investigation into a "recent mass killing of 5.3 million chickens following an outbreak of 'highly pathogenic avian influenza.' " It occurred at Rembrandt Enterprises, an Iowa factory egg farm owned by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.

Taylor will transfer majority ownership of the Timberwolves to former baseball All-Star Alex Rodriguez and businessman Marc Lore in 2023.

Per a statement from the Grizzlies, the protester Saturday was related to the previous protest. She was tended to by security in the hallway within the arena and had the chain still loosely around her neck.

"She has been removed from her seat and will be removed from the building," the Grizzlies' statement read.