Saturday night’s showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies couldn’t have been any more intense. Klay Thompson and Ja Morant had a heated exchange on the floor, with Morant even sticking a finger up Thompson’s face. In what resulted in an eventual Grizzlies 102-96 win, Thompson was seen to be separated by Mavs head coach Jason Kidd and the other Mavs coaching staff before the war of words could have gotten any worse.
Tensions between Klay Thompson and the Grizzlies arose after Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama attempted to deliberately trip Dallas’ No.1 overall pick Cooper Flag while he was on the ground.
While Thompson tried to confront Aldama for his actions, Morant stepped forward onto the floor to raise the level of conflict even higher. Morant did not play in this game as he was sitting out due to an injury. When Thompson was asked what Morant said during this heated exchange, the 4x NBA champion replied,
“Nothing of intelligent depth. Just running his mouth. He’s been running his mouth for a long time and it’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. It’s kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more. You know, 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 of that. We need that in the NBA, we need our best players to be out there.”
Here’s what led to Klay Thompson getting upset at Ja Morant, he point his finger in Klay’s face pic.twitter.com/qwEO1U9ZsE
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) November 23, 2025
Thompson did not spare mincing his words for Morant with his harsh criticism of the Grizzlies star. He further added, “When you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.” Thompson finished the night with 22 points and one rebound in this loss for Dallas. League experts and media were quick to notice this incident, and so was former NFL tight-end Shannon Sharpe. On his ‘Nightcap’ podcast, Sharpe expressed surprise at this incident and said,
“I don’t know what was said. I don’t know what would make Ja put his finger in the man’s face. I mean, I don’t know how did he get Klay to react?”(2:25)
Sharpe tried understanding where Thompson was coming from. Of course, nobody would like someone coming in and putting their fingers on their face. The most natural reaction would be to slap it out. Ocho Cinco highlighted how some NBA players may even have a personal vendetta against each other. But, he did not see any such scenario playing out between Morant and Thompson. The former NFL stalwarts tried analyzing what could have been the reason that triggered such animosity between the two players.
Sharpe, however, stuck to his point of having another man stick a finger in Klay Thompson. Also, since Ja Morant did not play this game, that does not bring in the level of trash talk he could have engaged with Thompson even from the sidelines. Also, Sharpe agreed with whatever Thompson had to say to the press after the game. Ja Morant has indeed found himself in the mud several times over his career and, in various ways, has somehow found himself embroiled in controversy.
So, was Klay Thompson right in schooling Ja Morant for his actions? Interestingly, it isn’t just Thompson who had something to say about Morant’s on-court actions. Thompson’s former teammate and fellow Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, had also expressed concerns about Ja Morant when the Warriors faced the Grizzlies last season.
Stephen Curry Stunned at Ja Morant’s Gun Gesture Towards Warriors Bench
Last season, just before the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors faced the Memphis Grizzlies in April. The Grizzlies were trailing late in the game, and Jimmy Butler added insult to injury by making a free throw with 20 seconds remaining on the clock. Following that, Ja Morant made a gun gesture to Buddy Hield and the Warriors bench, which had Stephen Curry bewildered.
Curry was looking back at Morant, with his arms out, trying to understand why the 25-year-old guard did what he did. Draymond Green was quick to approach the refs and seek a technical foul for Morant. Apparently, Morant’s response was to Hield, who had made a similar gesture towards the Grizzlies earlier in the game. Both Hield and Morant ended up receiving techs in that game. The Warriors finished the night with a 134-125 win.
Morant’s actions reminded many of his 25-game suspension in the 2023-24 season. The young Grizzlies star was suspended after he was filmed posing with a firearm in a car and in a nightclub. However, seems like Morant can’t keep enough of being under controversy through his career so far in the league!
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