The simmering feud between Klay Thompson and the Memphis Grizzlies boiled over again Saturday night, culminating in a postgame shouting match and a scathing rebuke from the Mavericks veteran regarding Ja Morant’s career trajectory.
Following the Grizzlies’ 102-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, an injured Morant — who was sidelined with a calf strain — confronted Thompson on the court. Video footage appeared to show Morant pointing a finger in Thompson’s face and telling the four-time NBA champion, “You a bum now.”
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, who led Dallas with 22 points but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer, did not hold back during his postgame media availability, specifically targeting Morant’s inability to stay on the floor.
“He’s a funny guy,” Thompson said. “He has a lot to say, all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability.”
A Tale of Two 26-Year-Olds
When asked to elaborate, Thompson drew a sharp contrast between his own standing at age 26 and Morant’s current resume.
“At that age, I was playing 80 games a year,” Thompson said. “It’s kind of been the story of his career so far, leaving us wanting more. We need our best players to be out there. I hate to see that go to waste.”
The statistics support Thompson’s critique. By the time Thompson turned 26 in 2016, he had established himself as one of the league’s “Iron Men,” missing only six games across his first five NBA seasons. By that age, Thompson was already an NBA Champion (2015), a two-time All-Star, an All-NBA selection, and a key architect of the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
"And then with Ja…he's a funny guy…has a lot to say, especially for a guy that rarely takes accountability."
Klay Thompson doesn't hold back on Ja Morant pic.twitter.com/BlpkswGhIv
— DLLS Mavs (@DLLS_Mavs) November 23, 2025
In stark contrast, Morant, now 26, has struggled to stay on the court. Since being drafted in 2019, the Grizzlies superstar has missed over 140 regular-season games—roughly 40% of his career—due to a combination of injuries and disciplinary suspensions.
History of Unavailability
Morant’s resume includes a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 season following a second gun-related incident, followed almost immediately by season-ending shoulder surgery. His current absence due to a calf strain marks yet another interruption in a career defined by stop-and-start momentum.
While Morant has won Rookie of the Year and earned two All-Star nods, he has yet to reach the NBA Finals—a stage Thompson had already conquered by the same age.
The friction didn’t end on the court. Morant later interrupted a postgame television interview to shout at Thompson, “Tell ’em who the best shooter in the house was,” referring to teammate Cam Spencer.
Saturday’s dust-up is the latest chapter in a rivalry dating back to the 2022 playoffs, when Thompson famously called Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. a “bum.” It appears Thompson still views the Grizzlies—and their star point guard—as having accomplished too little to talk so much.
