Ja Morant’s Message After Former NBA Star Calls Out His Dad

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 12:26 PM ET

Tee Morant, the father of All-Star guard Ja Morant, was ejected during the Memphis Grizzlies' 125-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Saturday. The game was briefly halted with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a verbal altercation between Morant and the officiating crew.

Crew chief Josh Tiven later explained the reasoning behind Tee Morant’s ejection, revealing to Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian that the NBA star's father had made disrespectful comments about the officiating.

"The fan continued to repeat overtly disrespectful statements about the integrity of the officiating crew, so as the crew chief, I approached security and asked that he be removed," Tiven said a Pool Report.

The incident quickly gained attention across the NBA community, prompting former NBA star Kenyon Martin to weigh in with sharp criticism during an episode of the Gil’s Arena show.

"As a man, you are embarrassing your son," Martin, whose son currently plays for the Utah Jazz, said on the show. "This ain’t about you. Sit down and shut up. You are not the center of attention. Ja Morant is."

Ja Morant caught wind of Martin’s remarks on X, and reacted to the post with a laughing emoji.

https://t.co/9PZpEpnhfk
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) February 15, 2025

While Martin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, disapproved of Tee Morant’s actions, other former players, including Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young, disagreed with his take.

This is not the first time Tee Morant has made headlines for his courtside antics. On January 20, 2023, he was involved in a heated exchange with Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe during a Grizzlies game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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

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