Ja Morant reacts to father getting bashed for ’embarrassing’ courtside antics: “It ain’t about you!”

Ja Morant reacted to Kenyon Martin's comments about his father Tee Morant getting ejected from the arena last Saturday.

Ja Morant reacts to father getting bashed for ’embarrassing’ courtside antics: “It ain’t about you!”

Ja Morant's father Tee Morant was ejected from the arena last week

Tee Morant has long been a fixture courtside at Memphis Grizzlies games. His animated presence is always a treat to watch when paired with the on-court theatrics of his son, Ja Morant, the team’s franchise star. But during the Grizzlies’ recent matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tee Morant found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

With Memphis trailing late in the fourth quarter, Tee Morant was ejected from his seat by the game’s officiating crew for his questionable comments. His ejection prompted a lot of criticism online and on talk shows across the league. Among the most vocal critics of the senior Morant was former NBA star Kenyon Martin, who directed some harsh remarks about his behavior on the Gil’s Arena podcast.

YouTube video

As a man, you are embarrassing your son. This ain’t about you. Sit down and shut up. You are not the center of attention. Ja Morant is.

Kenyon Martin on the podcast

However, Ja Morant wasn’t one to sit back and take that criticism of his father without objection. The junior Morant immediately hit back at Martin with a simple laughing emoji that he posted on his X account.

Tee Morant’s ejection stemmed from his repeated outbursts directed at the officiating crew. According to crew chief Josh Tiven, Morant’s remarks were deemed “overtly disrespectful,” leaving the officials no choice but to intervene. His ejection, however, had no impact on the outcome, as the Thunder cruised to a 125-112 victory, maintaining their hold atop the Western Conference standings.

Ja Morant revealed the reason for his father’s ejection

Ja Morant was definitely furious with the officiating crew on Saturday. He expressed his frustration at several calls that the Thunder received throughout the game, and this was only exacerbated by his father’s outroar at the officiating crew of Ray Acosta and Mousa Dagher, led by crew chief Josh Tiven.

Following the game, when asked about his father’s removal, Ja Morant suggested that it may have actually saved him from being ejected himself.

He probably got kicked out, so I didn’t [get ejected]. Probably complaining about something to the ref.

Ja Morant said postgame

Morant’s frustrations weren’t entirely unfounded. Despite Memphis attempting 39 free throws compared to Oklahoma City’s 21, the officiating left him personally feeling shortchanged. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 16 free throw attempts, while Morant, with his constant rim pressure, only went to the line four times.

This isn’t new for Ja Morant, who has consistently expressed his frustration with the way he has been refereed. Given his aggressive style of play, the disparity in free throw attempts for him compared to some of the other top guards in the league was enough to visibly frustrate the Grizzlies’ guard.