In the Friday night game between the Grizzlies and Nets, the Grizzlies were ahead by about 20 points when the game ended. The big lead made everyone excited, and Ja Morant couldn’t hold back. He decided to foul so his team could bring in the backup players, which caused an unexpected heated moment.
After a strong first half, Ja Morant taunted Jordi Fernandez by shouting, “Yeah,” which seemed to upset Fernandez. As the Grizzlies led by 20 points near the end of the game, Morant continued to clap and taunt near the Nets’ bench.
This resulted in Fernandez confronting Morant directly. While this was going on, Nets guard Dennis Schroder got into a fight with Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. The fight turned physical, and Morant, Schroder, and Jenkins all got technical fouls.
It’s spicy over here. Ja Morant was celebrating while coming out of the game. The Nets didn’t like it. Dennis Schroder and Taylor Jenkins eventually got into it and all the parties had to be separated. pic.twitter.com/hr4iClV3Fc
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) December 14, 2024
After a brief tension, both teams seemed to calm down, with Jenkins signaling that everything was okay. Morant later explained he was just trying to get a reaction from Fernandez.
He said, “It ain’t too much on my side. I even told the coach that I was trolling so he was good. I didn’t say anything crazy. If you look at the video, I was just saying ‘Yeah.’ If ‘yeah’ is disrespectful or makes you feel some type of way, then hey, so be it.”
Ja Morant on the back and forth with the Nets throughout the game that led to techs in the final moments:
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) December 14, 2024
"Nothing for real on my end, I was trolling just to get them riled up, and they did."
Said he "didn't say nothing crazy" to Jordi Fernandez at the end of the first half. pic.twitter.com/b01aDWD39i
Nets Coach reacts to Ja Morant’s disrespectful act
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez talked about the heated moment with Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant after their recent game. In a post-game interview, Fernandez said he was disappointed by the confrontation.
He emphasized that players should show respect. He said, “I will never speak to other players and I don’t want them to speak to me. If they want to be nice, obviously, it’s part of the game but I don’t want any interaction.”
Nets HC Jordi Fernandez on his interaction with Ja Morant:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 14, 2024
“I will never speak to other players and I don’t want them to speak to me… I don’t want any interaction. I think it’s disrespectful and it’s not part of the game… Play with respect for the game.”
(via @erikslater_) pic.twitter.com/BBm5WRc4Na
He added, “I think it’s disrespectful and it’s not part of the game. And that’s what we are projecting to everybody else, especially the little ones. Play with respect for the game.”
