Ja Morant openly announces dislike for LeBron James’ Lakers after tense matchup
In his postgame presser, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant expressed his dislike for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Ja Morant states his dislike for LeBron James and Lakers
Ja Morant has solidified himself as one of the most fierce competitors in the NBA. But Morant took his competitiveness to another team after publicly proclaiming his dislike for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Memphis Grizzlies and the Lakers share a budding rivalry, which stemmed from their first-round playoff matchup in 2023. The Lakers would go on to defeat Ja Morant and the Grizzlies in a tightly fought series. The following year, Morant and most of the Grizzlies roster wound up on the injury roster.
They could all but watch along in street clothes as the Lakers taunted and defeated the Grizzlies injury reserve roster in the regular season. Morant certainly didn’t take well to the antics and he made it clear on Wednesday night.
Top dawg in our league. You take out the top dawg, who else you fear?” Morant told reporters. “I don’t like ’em.They knocked me out of the playoffs.
Ja Morantsaid
Ja Morant had some thoughts on the LeBron interaction and separately the LA Lakers tonight.
— Avery Braxton (@Brax_Avery) November 7, 2024
"Top dawg in our league. You take out the top dawg, who else you fear?"
"I don't like 'em. They knocked me out of the playoffs." pic.twitter.com/uqMf5NAm4B
Ja Morant and LeBron James didn’t waste any time getting to business in the game. Late in the second quarter, James bulldozed through Morant for a tough bucket, before hitting the Grizzlies star with the ‘too small’ celebration.
Morant returned the favor soon after. He beat James off the dribble before a tough finish at the rim. He made sure to let James know about it too, after receiving a technical for shoving and taunting James. The Grizzlies ultimately ended up rolling to the win with an easy 114-131 victory.
Ja Morant finished the game with 20 points and five assists to lead his team, before leaving early with an injury. James on the other hand, was forced to carry the team’s offensive load with 39 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the absence of dominant big man Anthony Davis.
Ja Morant suffers latest injury scare after Grizzlies win
Grizzlies fans got their revenge on the Lakers with their big victory. However, the victory came at a cost – the cost of their superstar Ja Morant, who sliced up the Lakers’ defense with his acrobatics throughout the game.
However, on a lob play late in the 3rd quarter, Morant suffered a hard fall after taking contact during one of his surreal acrobatic attempts. He looked visibly shaken after the play and had to take a moment to gather himself. He would go to the bench following the sequence, before exiting the game for good in the 4th quarter.
Ja Morant did not land well here, on his way to the locker room pic.twitter.com/KhaciHWjmH
— CJ Fogler ? (@cjzero) November 7, 2024
Initial reports have suggested a Hamstring injury for Morant. However, the Grizzlies superstar confirmed during his postgame address that he’s ‘good’. The Grizzlies’ medical team has yet to confirm a diagnosis of the injury or its prognosis.
After improving to a 5-4 record after the Lakers win, Grizzlies fans will surely hope that the injury does not cause Ja Morant to miss any time. The team is already down two of their top guards, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart, and a severe injury to Morant could spell doom to their season.
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Armaan Gupta
(324 Articles Published)