Klay Thompson Takes Brutal Jab at Ja Morant's Entire Career as Grizzlies Star Trash Talks in Street Clothes 

Klay Thompson isn’t usually someone who gets caught up in trash talk. But after Saturday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies, he ended up in a heated exchange with Ja Morant. The back-and-forth led Thompson to take shots at Morant’s career and the issues that have kept him off the court.

During his postgame interview, Thompson spoke to reporters about the incident. At first, he avoided repeating what Morant said to him. Later, he took shots at Morant’s career.

Thompson not-so-subtly referenced Morant’s off-court problems and how much his behavioral issues have impacted his development in the league, forcing him to be sidelined for an extended period.

“Nothing of intelligent depth,” Thompson said. “He was just running his mouth. He’s been running his mouth for a long time. It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. It’s kind of the story of his career so far. Leaving us wanting more.

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“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. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there. When you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility. Hate to see that go to waste.”

After Memphis won 102-96, Ja Morant walked toward Klay Thompson and started celebrating in his direction. Morant seemed to be teasing him as the Grizzlies wrapped up the victory. Thompson chose not to share the exact words that were said, but cameras caught Morant appearing to call him a “bum.”

Despite the loss, Klay Thompson was the highest scorer across both teams, recording 22 points on 7-17 shooting from the field.

Klay Thompson compares different eras of Grizzlies

Klay Thompson’s latest altercation with Ja Morant has turned into a bigger issue, leading to Thompson expressing his frustration with the entire Memphis Grizzlies team.

In a postgame locker room interview, he talked about how he used to admire the former Grizzlies core that featured Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol.

However, Thompson feels completely different about the current roster. He expressed that the new era is more focused on trash talk.

“I actually do have a lot of respect for the grind house, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol,” Thompson said. “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.”

This year has been rough for Dallas. They have struggled to deal with injuries to players like Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.

Memphis has not exactly dominated the league either. The Grizzlies are only slightly ahead in the standings, sitting three spots above Dallas at 6-11.

Edited by Advait Jajodia