Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant had a lot to say after his team beat the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Following the contest — a 102-96 Grizzlies win — Morant, who sat out due to a calf injury, confronted Mavericks forward Klay Thompson on the court.
The two exchanged words, with teammates and coaches stepping in to prevent things from turning physical. Morant kept it up even after Thompson left the court. Morant interrupted a post-game interview with Cam Spencer, saying, “Tell ’em who the best shooter in the house was, it wasn’t bro from Golden State.”
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Spencer dropped 17 points in the win, and went 3-for-5 from three-point range. Thompson led the Mavericks with 22 points, going 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.
Following the contest, Thompson was asked about the on-court confrontation with Morant. The former Warriors star did not mince words.
Thompson, 35, kicked off his comments by saying, “[Morant is] a funny guy. He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability,” per ESPN.
Thompson then criticized Morant for talking smack from the bench and not living up to his immense potential.
“It was really just running his mouth, and he’s been running his mouth for a long time,” Thompson said. “It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. It’s kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more.
“We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there, and when you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.”
Morant, 26, has flashed superstar potential on the court, but multiple off-court incidents have led to missed time for the guard. Morant was suspended for eight games in 2023 after apparently flashing a gun during an Instagram live video while in a club. That video emerged shortly after Morant was accused of assaulting and threatening a teenager with a gun during a previous offseason.
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Later that year, Morant was suspended for 25 games to start the 2023-24 NBA season after flashing yet another gun in a video on social media. Morant returned from that suspension, but quickly got injured, playing in just nine games that season.
Earlier this year, Morant was suspended by the Grizzlies for one game after he got into an argument with head coach Tuomas Iisalo after a loss.
Morant returned after that suspension, but has played in just one of the team’s last five games due to an injury.
Thompson didn’t explicitly call out those issues, but was undoubtedly referencing them when he called out Morant following Saturday’s game.
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It’s unclear why there’s bad blood between Morant and Thompson, but the feud could go back to the 2022 NBA playoffs, when Thompson and the Golden State Warriors eliminated Morant and the Grizzlies. Thompson averaged 18.5 points in that series, including 30 points in the Warriors’ Game 6 win.
Following Saturday’s loss, the Mavericks fell to 5-13 on the season. The Grizzlies aren’t far behind in the standings, and are sitting at 6-11 after the win.
