The Memphis Grizzlies, one of the NBA’s most promising young teams, have come under fire from an anonymous NBA player for their excessive trash-talking. According to a poll conducted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins, the Grizzlies are known for talking trash when winning but remain silent during losses.
The anonymous player remarked, “They talk when they’re winning. They don’t say s**t when they’re losing.” This comment comes after the Grizzlies lost Game 1 to the LA Lakers, 128-112, on Sunday. The team’s focus shifted to the health of their All-Star player, Ja Morant, who landed awkwardly on his right hand during a collision with Anthony Davis.
Before the game, Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks expressed his enthusiasm about facing LeBron James and the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, saying, “I wouldn’t mind playing LeBron in a seven-game series. The legacy is there. First time back in the playoffs, knock him out right away.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, as the Grizzlies aim to bounce back and defend their home court before heading to Los Angeles for games 3 and 4.
Morant’s playing status remains uncertain. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that while X-rays revealed no breaks or fractures in his right hand, Morant’s injury is being treated as a pain-tolerance issue.
Ja Morant has previously acknowledged the Grizzlies’ reputation as the most hated team in the league. In a tweet by Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian, Morant commented on the negative attention his team receives from the media and online, saying, “We are, you see it on social media. Anything that has to do with the Grizzlies is frontline national television and national people putting it out.”
Despite the excitement surrounding the young Memphis Grizzlies team, their excessive trash-talking and showboating have not endeared them to all NBA fans. Morant and his teammates seem to have embraced the villain role, which has led to a polarizing reputation.