Popular Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant had some critical comments for Kendrick Perkins. The former center and current ESPN studio analyst praised Morant for his strong play so far this season. However, Perkins added that he was one of the main reasons ESPN began covering the Grizzlies as a top team and Morant as a superstar, implying he deserved some credit for their success.
It felt out of the ordinary when Perkins also made it personal by going out of his way to mention that the point guard has a negative relationship with him these days. Morant didn’t appreciate Perkins’s comments and fired back in his own words.
“You’re the reason for my notoriety, Perk? Come on, dawg. 😂 You’re showing them why I don’t f**k with your kind,” Morant wrote on X.
Memphis became one of ESPN’s more featured teams during the peak of the Morant era when he made them exciting and successful. Perkins’ claim that his on-air praise helped elevate the Grizzlies and Morant seems to be something Ja strongly disagrees with.
Perkins Detailed Morant’s Beef With Him
Tony Allen’s Out of the Mud podcast gave Perkins the platform to discuss the topic and the Grizzlies franchise. Allen, one of the most beloved players in team history, went in depth about the team he’s most associated with and their start to the season.
Perkins steered the conversation toward Ja Morant, saying the young star doesn’t like him anymore after he became more critical, transcribed by Fadeaway Media:
“I was cool with Ja at one point, but then when Ja started getting into trouble with some of his off-court activities and stuff like that, I had to speak up. Ja don’t really F with me no more on that. But to be honest, in that type of situation, I don’t F with Ja.”
Perkins’ commentary on Morant shifted from full praise to criticism, which he believes caused some tension with the Grizzlies’ top players. He emphasized that he was once one of Morant’s biggest supporters but suggested that Ja didn’t take well to criticism, souring a once positive relationship.
Does Morant Still Dislike Perkins?
Morant’s social media post about Perkins clearly confirmed that he dislikes the television pundit. Anyone would be upset with Perkins for trying to take credit for someone’s rise and popularity, but Morant went out of his way to make it clear that he no longer has a good relationship with the former NBA champion.
Perkins added more fuel to the fire by blaming Morant for Memphis losing its place as a nationally featured team. “Not only does that make you look bad,” Perkins said. “It makes me look bad because they recognized you because of me speaking highly of you. It ain’t no coincidence that you went from having three games on ESPN national television to 52.”
Morant taking offense to Perkins inserting himself into the equation makes sense given their history, much like a few of his other peers. The previous falling out left Ja unwilling to trust or respect the analyst’s commentary, making this latest remark sting even more than it would from the average pundit.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ja Morant Calls Out Kendrick Perkins For Controversial Comments appeared first on Heavy Sports.