Ja Morant raised eyebrows in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. In the third quarter, Morant appeared to make a gun gesture at Anthony Davis, and it turns out he was talking a lot of trash throughout the game.
“God damn, AD. God damn, AD,” Morant said after Jaren Jackson Jr. scored on him.
Morant also taunted Davis while making that gun gesture by saying, “Come here, AD” after Santi Aldama hit a three over him. Jackson later drew a foul on the Lakers big man, and the Grizzlies guard felt bold enough to state that the home team just can’t handle them.
Unfortunately for Morant, the Lakers would eventually gain the upper hand in this contest. That meant it was time to return the favor and Davis did so by taunting Morant after hitting a big three. The nine-time All-Star had some words for his father Tee Morant as well.
“I’m different, n***a,” Davis said.
FULL Audio Of Ja Morant Trash Talking Anthony Davis & The Lakers👀:
“Come here, AD… they [Lakers] can’t f*ck with y’all [Memphis]”
Then, after bouncing back in the 4th, AD taunted Ja, and also had words for Tee Morant:
“I’m different, n****” pic.twitter.com/Le4LHW25iP
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) November 15, 2024
It’s often said that you mustn’t poke the bear that is LeBron James and that probably might extend to Davis as well now. The 31-year-old finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks against the Grizzlies and helped the Lakers come away with a 128-123 win.
As for Morant, he didn’t feature in this contest due to a hip injury but ensured he’d dominate the headlines with that gesture. While some have suggested that the 25-year-old was just making the gesture that players make when a teammate hits a three, he isn’t getting the benefit of the doubt considering all that has transpired over the last 18 months or so.
Morant first landed himself in trouble over guns when he was seen flashing one on Instagram Live in March 2023. The NBA suspended him for eight games and it was reported he had assured commissioner Adam Silver that it wouldn’t happen again.
Unfortunately, it did, as Morant flashed a gun on his friend’s Instagram Live in May 2023. The NBA, unsurprisingly came down much harder on him after that, as he was handed a 25-game suspension.
While Morant, who is averaging 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in this 2024-25 season, has done some questionable celebrations since then, he hasn’t gone around flashing guns at least. As long as that remains the case, the two-time All-Star shouldn’t find himself in trouble with the NBA.
Ja Morant Explains Why He Doesn’t Like The Lakers
Wednesday’s contest between the Grizzlies and the Lakers was the second of the season between these teams and the first one had some drama as well. Morant taunted LeBron James mid-game and later explained why he doesn’t like the Lakers.
“I don’t like ’em. They knocked me out of the playoffs and then last year, we had a game and they came in here and beat us on our home floor when I was in street clothes. I wasn’t tonight… I didn’t get to play last year, they were laughing, playing, looking at me, and talking. I was in street clothes, this was my first opportunity to play against them.”
The Lakers beat the Grizzlies in six games in the first round of the 2022 playoffs and that series saw the beginning of a bit of a rivalry between the teams. There’s just that bit of added tension in the air when they play each other. The next meeting between these teams is some way away, though, as they’ll face off for the third and final time in this regular season on March 29, 2025.
As for their upcoming games, the 8-4 Lakers will take on the 4-9 New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on Saturday at 8 PM ET while the 7-6 Grizzlies face the 7-4 Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 6 PM ET. Morant isn’t going to play in that game and it’s still unclear when he’ll be back on the court.
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