The Memphis Grizzlies have suspended Ja Morant for one game due to conduct detrimental to the team following a confrontation with head coach Tuomas Iisalo. The incident occurred after the team's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, stemming from tensions over rotations and plays. Morant is expected to rejoin the team on Monday after missing Sunday's game against the Raptors.
Tensions between Ja Morant and first-year head coach Tuomas Iisalo had been building for several days, according to reports from Shams Charania of ESPN. Morant expressed frustration with Iisalo's rotation patterns and plays, which culminated during and after the Grizzlies' loss to the Lakers on Friday night.
In the post-game locker room, Iisalo called out Morant's leadership and effort in front of the entire team and staff. Morant responded in a manner described as inappropriate and dismissive, leading to the one-game suspension announced on Saturday. "There's been tension for the last several days around Ja Morant and his feelings toward first-year head coach Tuomas Iisalo's rotation patterns and plays," Charania reported. "But it really culminated after and during the loss to the Lakers on Friday night."
The confrontation highlights ongoing challenges in Morant's relationship with the Grizzlies' coaching staff. After the game, Morant directed reporters to ask the coaching staff about what went wrong and suggested they might prefer not to play him. This marks another instance of off-court issues for Morant, who has faced previous suspensions.
League sources indicate that teams across the NBA are monitoring the situation between Morant and the Grizzlies. "Teams across the league...are monitoring this, keeping an eye on where this relationship stands between Ja Morant and the Grizzlies," Charania added. Morant, 26, has played just six games this season amid a history of injuries and absences, missing more than a third of regular-season games since being drafted in 2019.
The Grizzlies, who fired previous coach Taylor Jenkins partly amid reported complaints from Morant about the offensive system, have reincorporated pick-and-roll plays under Iisalo, increasing Morant's ball touches to nearly 76 per game from below 68 last year.
