Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant took an opportunity to call out The Worldwide Leader after his team’s latest victory on Wednesday.
The Grizzlies played the San Antonio Spurs in a contest that was originally supposed to air on ESPN. However, the network made a late decision to flex out the game in favor of airing the Miami Heat-New York Knicks matchup.
Memphis went on to win 118-110 as Morant poured in 41 points, tying his season-high. After the game, Morant took a swipe at ESPN.
“Shoutout to whoever took us off TV,” he said, according to Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. “Appreciate you for that. That game right there was for you too.”
To make matters worse for ESPN, the Heat-Knicks game was not especially entertaining. The Heat got out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and the Knicks never got any closer, losing in a 110-96 blowout.
Granted, you can’t really fault ESPN for expecting a Miami-New York game to get better ratings than a Memphis-San Antonio game. But the Grizzlies, who are now 33-17 on the season, quickly reminded ESPN that they are legitimately one of the best teams in the NBA and deserve their respect. With the highlights Morant in particular produces on a nightly basis, Memphis should probably be a national television staple at this point.
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