Klay Thompson Criticizes Ja Morant‘s Trash Talk Following Grizzlies‘ Victory Over Mavericks
DALLAS - Following the Memphis Grizzlies’ 112-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, Mavericks guard Klay Thompson openly dismissed Ja Morant’s sideline chatter as empty rhetoric, questioning the Grizzlies star’s consistency and impact. Thompson’s comments came after a game marked by multiple on-court confrontations between players from both teams, including a flagrant foul assessed to Memphis’ Santi Aldama.
Thompson specifically took issue with Morant’s verbal exchanges during the game, stating, “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.” He continued,”It’s kind of the story of his career so far,just leaving us wanting more.” Thompson expressed concern over Morant’s off-court issues and their impact on his performance, adding, “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 has faced multiple suspensions in recent seasons, including an eight-game suspension in 2022-23 and a 25-game suspension in 2023-24 stemming from incidents involving the display of handguns on Instagram Live. He also served a one-game suspension earlier this season imposed by the grizzlies following a confrontation with coach Tuomas Iisalo. Currently averaging 17.9 points while shooting 35.9% from the field and 16.7% from three-point range, Morant is experiencing his lowest statistical output to date.
Thompson also referenced a flagrant foul committed by former Grizzlies player Dillon Brooks during the 2022 playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, which resulted in a broken elbow for Warriors guard Gary Payton II, stating Aldama’s foul “reminded him of ‘dirty stuff'” from that series. The 35-year-old Thompson,now in a reserve role with the Mavericks,contrasted his respect for past Grizzlies teams with his current view of the Memphis roster.
“They just talk a lot,” Thompson said. “They’ve always talked a lot. And never really backed it up either, so I don’t really respect that. I respect guys who back up the talk with play because talk is cheap.”
