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Anthony Gharib, ESPN
There’s no love lost between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies, who face off for the second time this season Wednesday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN).
The two sides memorably matched up in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, with the Lakers victorious in six games. The series was headlined by the interactions between LeBron James and then-Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks. However, the bad blood between the Western Conference foes started earlier than that.
James and Desmond Bane engaged in trash talk during a January 2022 game, including James yelling at the Memphis guard: “That’s your last motherf—ing time. That’s your last time disrespecting me.”
It created a viral moment, but, over two years later, any potential bad history looked to be in the rearview mirror. At least that’s what it seemed until last week.
Memphis defeated Los Angeles 131-114 at home and the beef slightly percolated. Here’s a look back at the bad blood between the two sides from that Nov. 6 matchup.
Ja and LeBron exchange gestures
Ja Morant is often in the middle of any dustup with the Lakers. Playing his first game against the team since last January, he came prepared to make noise.
After scoring against Gabe Vincent near the end of the first half, Morant hit the “too small” celebration. One possession later, James responded with his own version of the celebration after scoring over Morant.
The Grizzlies star remembered the moment, trolling James on X with a GIF that ended with someone flashing an “L.”
Bane finds a way to jab at James
Bane didn’t use the oblique injury that kept him out of the game as an excuse to not throw a shot at James.
Former Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr. played a key role in Memphis’ win with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. He also blocked James late in the fourth quarter.
While being interviewed postgame by the Grizzlies broadcast, Bane jumped in and referenced Pippen’s defensive play in a petty way.
“Y’all see the way he snatched that ball from that old man over there? From that old man over there?” Bane said, emphasizing the “old man.”
Ja keeps it candid postgame
When asked what it was about this Lakers team that got Morant going, he simply said: “I don’t like them.” He went on to explain his reasoning, referencing the 2023 series and a game late last season.
“They knocked me out of the playoffs,” Morant said. “And then last year we had a game, and they came here and popped it on our home floor when I was in street clothes. I wasn’t tonight.”
The two-time All-Star was pointing to a 123-120 win by the Lakers in the penultimate game of the regular season. After a late steal, James pulled off a reverse dunk and landed right in front of Morant. The two briefly engaged before James chuckled on his way back to the Lakers bench.
James dismisses any bad blood
The back-and-forth between Morant and James wasn’t anything more than what the essence of basketball is, according to the Lakers star.
He pointed to the “too small” interactions as “two guys from the inner city that love to compete.”
“We all grew up playing on the blacktop, playing outside and competing at a high level when there was no cameras around, it was a bunch of just s— talking around and playing the game,” he said.
With Morant out against the Lakers this week due to an injury, it’s unclear how he will contribute to the next chapter in this rising rivalry between Western Conference opponents.
