Klay Thompson Flames Ja Morant for ‘Underachieving’ Career After Altercation

Following the heated exchange after the match between Klay Thompson and Ja Morant, the former took a few shots at the Grizzlies star.

Klay Thompson Flames Ja Morant for ‘Underachieving’ Career After Altercation

Klay Thompson (Left) and Ja Morant (Right) (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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Four-time NBA champions with the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson had a heated exchange with Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on Saturday. It was a closely fought contest as the Grizzlies edged out the Dallas Mavericks 102-96 at the American Airlines Arena.

Both teams are trying to find some stability as they languish in the bottom half of the Western Conference standings. The Mavs sit at 13th in the standings while the Grizzlies are currently in the play-in spot at 10th.

Morant was ruled out due to injury as well and has missed three back-to-back games for Memphis. But that did not stop the 2x NBA All-Star from confronting Thompson after the match. During the heated exchange, Morant put his finger in Thompson’s face and said “You a b*m now,” after the final whistle. Thompson swatted at Morant’s hand and the two had to be separated as they exchanged words.

Thompson is a player who usually stays away from exchanges but in the post-match press conference, he took some shots at Morant:

He is a funny guy. He has a lot to say all the time especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability but that’s for another day.

When asked what did Ja Morant say to him during the exchange, Thompson answered:

Nothing of intelligent depth. He was just running his mouth and he’s been running his mouth for a long time. It’s funny you run your mouth when you’re on the bench. It’s kinda been the whole story of his career so far. You know, 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…When you’re a star it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.

Memphis Grizzlies don’t back their talk with their performances

Tensions between Thompson and the Grizzlies started after Memphis forward Santi Aldama appeared to deliberately trip Cooper Flagg while Aldama was on the ground. Thompson confronted Aldama about his actions. The tensions carried over after the match as well when Morant decided to get involved too.

Morant made an appearance at a press conference for his teammate, Cam Spencer, stating: “Tell them who the best shooter in the house is. It wasn’t the guy from Golden State,” in another subtle dig at the 5x NBA All-Star.

When asked if he respects the Grizzlies, Thompson spoke on having respect for the Grind house Memphis Grizzlies era but the new version of them is nothing but frauds.

I actually do have a lot of respect for the grind house, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol, that was a hard team to beat. This new team though, I don’t know man. They just talk a lot. 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, cause talk is cheap. Trust me, I know that better than anybody. Been in this league for a long time.

New role for Klay Thompson

For all his achievements during his time with the Warriors, Thompson has had a different role since joining the Mavs. He joined the team last season and was supposed to be more of a spot-up shooter as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving handled the ball but a lot has changed since the Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.

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Klay Thompson (Image credits – Eurohoops)

Thompson finds himself starting from the bench now, showing maturity and a fresh approach at 35 years old. He has struggled with his scoring and shooting as he currently averages only 10.1 points per game while shooting at 34.7% from the field this season.

The guard has reacted positively to the change and expressed gratitude for playing time at this stage in his career, emphasizing his goal to be a consistent presence in the Mavs’ lineup regardless of starting status.

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