After the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks 102-96 on Saturday, injured Grizzlies guard Ja Morant confronted Mavericks forward Klay Thompson on the court. The exchange escalated with words from both sides, and Thompson later blasted Morant for talking from the bench. Thompson highlighted Morant's unfulfilled potential amid off-court issues.
The tension boiled over following the Grizzlies' narrow victory over the Mavericks. Ja Morant, sidelined by a calf injury, approached Klay Thompson after the final buzzer, leading to a heated exchange that required intervention from teammates and coaches to prevent it from turning physical. Morant continued his taunts, interrupting a post-game interview with teammate Cam Spencer by saying, "Tell 'em who the best shooter in the house was, it wasn't bro from Golden State."
Spencer contributed 17 points in the win, shooting 3-for-5 from three-point range. Thompson paced the Mavericks with 22 points, making 6 of 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
In his post-game comments, Thompson did not hold back. "[Morant is] a funny guy. He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability," Thompson said, per ESPN. He added, "It was really just running his mouth, and he's been running his mouth for a long time. It's funny to run your mouth when you're on the bench. It's kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more. We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he's just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there, and when you're a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste."
Morant, 26, has faced multiple suspensions: eight games in 2023 for flashing a gun on Instagram Live, 25 games to start the 2023-24 season for another similar incident, and one game earlier this year for arguing with coach Tuomas Iisalo. He has played in just one of the Grizzlies' last five games due to injury, limiting his season to appearances in a struggling 6-11 team. The Mavericks dropped to 5-13 with the loss.
The bad blood may trace back to the 2022 NBA playoffs, where Thompson and the Golden State Warriors eliminated Morant's Grizzlies. Thompson averaged 18.5 points in that series, including 30 in Game 6.