The mascot for the Memphis Grizzlies, Grizz, went viral for all the wrong reasons on Sunday night. In a stoppage during the game between the Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings, the mascot stripped and twerked in front of Ja Morant’s four-year-old daughter, Kaari.
Please watch this courtside adult shielding the child on his lap’s eyes as Grizz strips and twerks in front of them pic.twitter.com/bt8vVve1uM
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 1, 2024
That’s an incredibly bizarre thing to do in front of a child, and the individual whom Kaari was sitting with had to shield her eyes. While doing something like this in a public space would be questionable in itself, doing it in front of a child is just so much worse. Whoever thought this was a good idea probably needs to have a long hard look at themselves.
NBA Fans Were Not Happy With The Mascot
While some on X found this to be rather hilarious, many did not. NBA fans felt the mascot crossed a line by stripping and twerking in front of a child.
A fan thinks this individual will get fired over this.
https://twitter.com/MajestyJones3/status/1741633387276783666
A fan thinks this was not well thought through.
He did not think this one through
— StreetHistory Videos (@streethistory) January 1, 2024
One said this was just so wrong.
Sooo wrong
— 𝑸𝒘𝒂𝒎𝒊 (@qwami_) January 1, 2024
A fan thought this would have been traumatic.
It is gonna be traumatic for the child.
— George Dalton (@GeorgeD57593088) January 1, 2024
The person responsible must be demoted, one fan said.
Whoever is responsible for that has to be demoted! Smh.
— OMA$© (@J3llyB3an12) January 1, 2024
If Morant does end up having a big issue with this, I’m sure the person in the organization who gave the go-ahead and the mascot would end up in some trouble. Even if there were no bad intentions here, I can’t imagine any father easily brushing aside something like this being done in front of their daughter.
The Grizzlies Have Cooled Down With Morant Battling Sickness
Morant’s grand return from the 25-game suspension on December 19 had seemingly galvanized the whole team. The 24-year-old led the Grizzlies to four straight wins, but they have collapsed since then, as he has been hampered by an illness.
Morant missed the game against the Denver Nuggets and Memphis ended up losing 142-105. He then returned against the Los Angeles Clippers but was clearly not feeling well and with him somewhat compromised, they were beaten 117-106. Then came this game against the Kings, where they were blown out 123-92 to fall to 10-22 on the season.
Morant had impressive averages of 28.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game during their win streak, but has looked like a shell of himself post-sickness. He has averaged just 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game in his last two outings, and the Grizzlies won’t win too many games if he puts up those numbers.
I felt like they had a bit of an outside shot at making the playoffs when they went on that four-game winning run, but this losing streak has undone that good work. Having dug themselves into such a big hole during Morant’s suspension, the Grizzlies simply cannot afford to have runs like these if they have any hopes of making it to the postseason.
When Ja is fully healthy, you’d expect some more wins, but the rest of the team has to step up if he’s struggling. The likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart have to step up to the plate when called upon, or else the Grizzlies will be watching the postseason from home, just like all of us.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
