The start of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2025-26 season hasn’t met expectations, at least if you ask star guard Ja Morant.
The team’s opening-night loss in the NBA Cup to the Los Angeles Lakers left Morant noticeably frustrated with the Grizzlies’ coaching staff. After the 117-112 defeat, Morant repeatedly responded to questions about his performance by saying, “Go ask the coaching staff.”
On Saturday, ESPN reported that Morant was suspended for one game due to conduct detrimental to the team. This disciplinary action came less than 24 hours after Morant openly criticized the team and its coaches.
When asked on Friday about what Memphis could have done differently in the loss to the Lakers, an apparently irritated Morant remarked, “According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly. That’s what basically the message was. It’s cool.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Grizzlies for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Morant finished Friday’s game with just eight points, the lowest total among Grizzlies starters, while teammate Jaylen Wells led the team with 16 points. The defeat dropped Memphis to a 3-3 record for the season.
Adding to concerns, Morant showed a slower pace and lower energy level than fans have come to expect since his rise to NBA stardom.
In response to the team’s struggles, the Grizzlies’ front office made a coaching change after last season’s disappointing first-round sweep by the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Tuomas Iisalo currently serves as the head coach of the Grizzlies.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ja-morant-suspended-detrimental-conduct-after-calling-out-coaching-staff-nba-cup-defeat-fallout-report
