Grizzlies' Ja Morant (12) high fives fans as he walks off the court after the Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks 120-106 in the play-in game to secure a spot in the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, April 18, 2025. Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ja Morant Fires Back at Stephen A. Smith After Wild Statement

Originally posted on Memphis Grizzlies on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 1:18 PM ET

The Memphis Grizzlies have never been the top free agent destination, but they have recently been able to build a solid foundation through drafting young talent. However, that may not be enough.

The Grizzlies have not made it past the second round of the playoffs since 2013, and many expected this offseason to be a turning point for the franchise. The Grizzlies have been linked to trade talks for guys like Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler at February's deadline; however, it has become clear that many of the top players in the league do not want to play for the Grizzlies.

ESPN star analyst Stephen A. Smith shared his controversial take on why.

"You gonna tell folks why nobody wants to be in Memphis? Or you want me to do it?"
"Cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis." - Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/qD9UjV5ZV4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 17, 2025

"Cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment," Smith said about Memphis. "I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You gotta clean some of that stuff up because it's disuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They've told me."

Of course, many people did not appreciate Smith's comments, including Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who took to social media to indirectly fire back.

Via Ja Morant: "talkin bout the grizz more than the finals wit these ahh sources"

talkin bout the grizz more than the finals wit these ahh sources
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 17, 2025

Via Ja Morant: "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."

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.
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 17, 2025

Of course, the Grizzlies have been in the spotlight after trading away Desmond Bane on Sunday, but Smith's comments about Memphis unsurprisingly lit a spark.

This article first appeared on Memphis Grizzlies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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