Grizzlies Star Battling Troubling Legal Issues Ahead of 2025 NBA Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 12:34 PM ET

Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant was once considered to be a candidate for the next face of the NBA, but some injuries and off-court issues in recent years have halted that momentum.

Over the course of a single year, he was in hot water for punching a teenager and got suspended twice by the league for brandishing a gun on Instagram live multiple times.

He’s largely cleaned up his act since these incidents from two and three years ago, but other Grizzlies players have begun popping up with legal issues, leading people to believe Morant is a bad influence.

Memphis Cannot Escape Controversy

Most recently, the team’s second-year center, Zach Edey, was pulled over for going nearly 50 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Edey claimed to have no idea why he was pulled over, telling the police officer, “I was passing,” as if that was an excuse to break the law so egregiously.

Zach Edey to a police officer after being pulled over for going 101mph in a 55mph zone

“What’s going on… I was passing.”

(Via @nypost) pic.twitter.com/2o6NoS9vlO
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 30, 2025

It’s unlikely this will develop into anything more than a speeding ticket and possibly a court date, but it’s troubling for the Grizzlies, who just can’t seem to escape turmoil.

Memphis fired its head coach, Taylor Jenkins, with about a week left in the regular season, a move that stunned fans around the league.

With all of Morant’s antics in the past and now this Edey situation, it’s starting to feel like Memphis, one of the more talented teams in the league, will never reach its full potential.

They have Morant and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. on supermax contracts, which has significantly hindered their ability to sign impact free agents.

It will take some excellent draft navigation and witty financial allocation for the Grizzlies to finally reach the level they want to get to.

But it will never happen if players like Edey and Morant keep throwing wrenches into the team’s seasons.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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