Ja Morant Fires Back at Stephen A. Smith for Memphis Criticism

Ja Morant is not enjoying the recent discourse about the city of Memphis.

Shortly after Stephen A. Smith said NBA players don't want to live in Memphis because it's not "the safest environment," Morant sent a post that appears to criticize ESPN for talking about the Grizzlies and their city instead of the ongoing NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

instead of focusing on the performances we seen from jdub/shai , tj/siakam, how this series is going . we say sumn negative about a city/team on a national level.
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 17, 2025

Smith uttered the comments during Tuesday's episode of First Take while discussing the Grizzlies' recent trade of Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic.

"The people in Memphis ... it's a great sports town, great fans, great people," he said. "But there's an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don't feel it's the safest environment. I'm talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You've gotta clean some of that stuff up because it's dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They told me."

"You gonna tell folks why nobody wants to be in Memphis? Or you want me to do it?"
"Cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis." - Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/qD9UjV5ZV4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 17, 2025

Morant just wrapped up his sixth season in Memphis. In 50 games last year, Morant averaged 23.2 points and 7.3 assists per contest while shooting 45.4% from the field.

The Grizzlies acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks and a pick swap in exchange for Bane. It's a move that perhaps signals Memphis is looking to move on from its core and rebuild, which has put Morant's name in countless trade rumors over the past week.