Ja Morant is one of the most entertaining and funny players in the modern NBA. The whole world got to see that last season as Morant had a breakout season with the Grizzlies. Not only did Memphis have the second-best record in the NBA with Ja in MVP talks, but they were also the team that wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything. This season, that includes the referees.
During a game against the Boston Celtics, where Ja and Jayson Tatum had a conversation at the free throw line, Morant received a technical for talking to the referee on an inbounds play. While players can get T’d up for talking to a referee during a game, it usually is because of what they have to say.
Grizzlies beat writer Damichael Cole claims that a fan sitting courtside told him that Morant asked the referee if he was playing on FanDuel, a sports betting app.
Ja Morant got hit with a tech for asking the ref if he played FanDuel 😅 pic.twitter.com/L4SZHP4wHW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 9, 2022
Asking an NBA official if he bet on a game as an athlete can be considered incredibly inappropriate. Asking a referee if he bet on the game he is officiating is like asking an athlete if they are using PEDs for a contest. It is taboo and offensive, so Morant got what was coming to him.
Did Ja Morant Desrerve The Penalty?
Many would argue that the referee overreacted but Morant should know better and not take such liberties. The NBA has been tainted by an official who loved betting before, so even mentioning that could make officials uneasy.
The incident didn’t really have a major impact on the game. Everyone shrugged the comment off pretty easily, which goes to show the larger impact of what Morant was saying had no major consequences. This technical foul will let him know that he needs to be more careful while approaching officials with such statements, something that Ja probably won’t do again.
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