Ja Morant fires back at Stephen A. Smith over Memphis safety claims

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant fired back at Stephen A. Smith’s claim that NBA players don’t want to join Morant’s squad because they don’t feel safe in the city. 

During Tuesday’s edition of “First Take,” the panel, which included Smith and NBA brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris, discussed whether the Grizzlies should trade Morant and do a full rebuild after dealing Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. 

Marcus Morris was asked why players don’t want to be in Memphis, and Smith responded. 

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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant walks off the court during the second half of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)

“The people in Memphis, it’s a great sports town — great fans, great people — but there’s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment,” Smith explained, via Front Office Sports. 

“I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You’ve got to clean some of that stuff up because it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They’ve told me. That’s all I’m saying.” 

Morant didn’t respond directly to Smith, but he gave his take on the situation. 

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“talkin bout the grizz more than the finals [laughing emoji] wit these [cap emoji] ahh sources,” Morant posted on X. “instead of focusing on the performances we seen from jdub/shai, tj/Siakam, how this series is going. We say sumn negative about a city/team on a national level.”

The “First Take” panel also discussed whether Morant wants to be with the Grizzlies in the future due to how competitive the Western Conference is. 

“ima be in that 901…source: ME!!” he also wrote on X, implying that he will be staying put in Memphis. 

Stephen A. Smith questioned whether NBA players feel safe in Memphis, and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant fired back.  (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Smith also spoke about Morant directly on the show, bringing up his gun incidents that led to NBA suspensions. Without those, Smith said, Morant is a “good brother,” though he made a “foolish mistake.”

Morant is one of the most electric guards in the league when he’s on the court with the ability to score from anywhere, especially at the rim. 

However, Smith questioned Morant’s availability after this season’s injury-plagued results. 

“Did you know he was on the injured list 15 times this season with eight different ailments — hamstring, shoulder, knee, foot, hip, thigh, illness?” Smith told the Morris brothers. “Fifteen times. The best ability is availability. If there’s a question about his availability, now it’s a different discussion. I need you on that damn court.”

Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies during a game against the San Antonio Spurs at FedExForum Jan. 2, 2024, in Memphis.  (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

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The Grizzlies finished eighth in the Western Conference standings this season with a 48-34 record. They were swept by the eventual conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who are one game away from an NBA title after Monday night’s Game 5 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Morant finished his sixth season in Memphis averaging 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists over 50 games. 

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