Grizzlies’ Ja Morant After Win Over Lakers: ‘I Don’t Like Them’

Ja Morant doesn’t forget. When the Lakers knocked his Grizzlies out of the 2023 playoffs, it left a mark.

And standing on the sideline last season, helpless as LeBron James threw down a windmill dunk, only added to that fire, as relayed by Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. So when the Lakers rolled into FedExForum on Wednesday night, Morant brought the edge you’d expect from someone who holds receipts.

The Grizzlies’ 131-114 win wasn’t just about racking up another W. This was personal for Morant.

“I don’t like them,” he told reporters.

And he played like it, relentlessly attacking and taking it to a team that has haunted his playoff dreams. Morant punctuated a second-quarter score over Gabe Vincent with the “too little” gesture — a taunt that screamed he wasn’t backing down.

But LeBron, even at 39, doesn’t just let moments like that go unanswered. On the very next play, the Lakers’ legend muscled his way through Morant for a bucket, drawing contact and staring down the Grizzlies’ star as if to say, “Not so fast.”

👀😅 Ja Morant's response to Lebron's "too small" pic! pic.twitter.com/AGpO184BA8

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) November 7, 2024

It was a game with a playoff-like atmosphere, full of competitive jawing and statement plays.

For Morant and the Grizzlies, it was a reminder to the Lakers that they’re not the same team that folded last spring. For LeBron and company, it was a warning that even the young guns come ready with receipts. And for fans, it was everything you’d want from a midseason battle between two teams who don’t forget.