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ESPN First Take star Stephen A. Smith is embroiled in another feud with an NBA player, this time clashing with Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. In a segment on if the Grizzlies should move on from Morant, Smith spoke about how the alleged crime in the city makes it not an attractive destination for the NBA's best players.
“The people in Memphis, it's a great sports town, great fans, great people,” Smith said on Tuesday afternoon. “But there's an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don't feel it's the safest environment. I'm talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You gotta clean some of that stuff up because it's dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They told me.”
Morant didn't take long to respond to Smith and hop to the defense of Memphis on his X account.
“Talkin bout the [Grizzlies] more than the finals,” Morant wrote. “[With] these [cap] ahh sources.”
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He also posted, “Instead of focusing on the performances we seen from Jdub/Shai [Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], Tj/Siakam [T.J. McConnell and Pascal Siakam], how this series is going,” Morant continued. “We say [something] negative about a city/team on a national level.”
The tweet seemingly made it's way back to Stephen A. Smith, which prompted him to make a long post saying:
“So this is what we’re doing now @JaMorant? I recall talking about the Finals. But the @memgrizz made news because of Bane getting traded. AND, your possible extension coming up. Would you prefer I go into detail about WTH has been going on in Memphis? Why players have stated they’re not interested in going? Or even MORE details? Or would you like me to leave well enough alone, and let the great peeps of Memphis address it on their own? Your call! I’m all ears!”
It seems as if Smith is making a threat at Morant akin to his moment with Kevin Durant in 2015, in which he stood by his reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers were a potential destination for him should he not resign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. It appears that Smith isn't backing down from his fued with players, even if it makes him the antagonist to sports fans around the nation.
