The Atlanta Hawks agreed to Riyaz Manjiyani's plan for an on-court marriage proposal with one clear stipulation.

Manjiyani and his girlfriend Sumera Jiva — both serious Grizzlies fans — were not to wear any Grizzlies apparel.

But when Manjiyani bent his knee and opened a ring box in front of Jiva during a break in the of the Grizzlies' loss at Atlanta on Wednesday at State Farm Arena, he made his loyalties clear.

"Will you grit and grind with me forever and ever, babe?" he asked.

Jiva nodded her head yes and the crowd cheered, apparently unaware that the "grit and grind" phrase is a rallying cry for the team the Hawks were playing.

"The words about grit and grind were something that came out on the spot," Manjiyani said. "Those are the only words I could think of."

Manjiyani and Jiva are originally from Memphis. Jiva was led to believe she had been chosen to participate in an on-court game in which she had to locate the Hawks mascot while blindfolded.

Once she did and removed her blindfold, Manjiyani was there waiting with the ring and Grizzlies-themed proposal.

"The words 'will you grit and grind with me forever and ever' was meant to be both for our relationship together and our relationship with the Grizz," Manjiyani said. "It was truly the best moment of my life."

Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @DavidWCobb.

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