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Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant explains why he doesn't like the Lakers

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Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant explains why he doesn't like the Lakers

Ja Morant's memory is precise when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers.

He remembers the feeling of being shut out by the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs, and he remembers sitting injured on the bench last season while LeBron James threw down a windmill dunk.

All of this contributed to Morant playing in the Grizzlies' 131-114 victory on Wednesday night at FedExForum.

“I don’t like them,” Morant said of the Lakers.

Morant made the “not enough” gesture after scoring on Gabe Vincent in the second quarter. Seconds later, James returned the favor by throwing Morant to the ground with all his might and scoring over the smaller guard.

When the Grizzlies got the ball back, Morant scored, heading toward James and shoving him in the back. He was assessed a technical foul.

“I’m not backing down from anyone,” Morant said. “I don't care who you are. My job was to come back. I got my basket and set the tone. My teammates benefited from it and you can see what happened.”

Grizzlies Core vs Lakers History

It's not just Morant. The other two members of the Grizzlies' core three players are also not Lakers fans.

The history between this Grizzlies core and the Lakers can be traced back to January 2022. A jab from James in the back from Bane led to a back and forth with James telling the Grizzlies players to stop disrespecting him. Bane admitted that tempers flared, but that was the moment the teams knew that “no one was upsetting the Grizzlies.”

Bane didn't play in Wednesday's win due to an oblique injury, but he still took a subtle jab at James. When Scotty Pippen Jr. was interviewed by Fanduel Sports Network after the game, Bane interrupted him with a message.

“You all saw him steal the ball away from that old man over there,” Bane said, referring to Pippen’s fourth-quarter steal from the 39-year-old James.

The Grizzlies' last playoff game was an embarrassing 40-point Game 6 loss to the Lakers in 2023. It was the worst loss in Grizzlies playoff history.

“The playoffs were definitely a bitter aftertaste,” said Jaren Jackson Jr.. “Any team we play in the playoffs, win or lose, it's forever a challenge.”

Another came late in the 2024 season. James went through a reverse windmill dunk and looked toward the Grizzlies' bench with a smile on his face. Morant and Bane, both injured, were two of the players directly ahead of James.

Wednesday wasn't Moran's first game against the Lakers since that matchup.

“They came to our home floor and beat us on our home floor – laughing, playing and looking at me when I talked,” Morant said. “My message was that I was wearing street clothes.”

James led the Lakers and finished the game with 39 points, leading all scorers.

“He’s a leader in our league,” Morant said. “Take out the leader, who else are you afraid of?”

LEBRON JAMES ON JA MORANT: LeBron James praises Grizzlies' Ja Morant after test of will: 'It's great to have him back'

Morant injury at the latest

Morant was unable to finish Wednesday's game due to a right hamstring injury. The injury occurred on an alley-oop pass from Jake LaRavia. Both Morant and LaRavia felt the Grizzlies point guard was fouled on the play.

“It was unfortunate what happened, but I thought there was a lot of contact,” LaRavia said.

Memphis will be back in action on Friday against the Washington Wizards. Although Morant feels “fine,” he was noncommittal about his availability.

“We’ll see,” he said.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

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