Story by
Ja Morant admits he lost his joy playing for Grizzlies: "We'll see"
- Story by
- Ja Morant admits he lost his joy playing for Grizzlies: "We'll see"
Ja Morant returned to action on Monday after a one-game suspension levied by the Memphis Grizzlies . The team suspended him for comments he made against the coaching staff and a reported spat with head coach Tuomas Iisalo after Friday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers .
But just like he did the last time he played, Morant struggled with his shot, going just 5-of-16 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3-point distance, as the Grizzlies lost to the Detroit Pistons 114-106 for their fourth defeat in their last five games.
Advertisement
After the game, Morant was asked by reporters whether things had been resolved. He replied, "Yeah, they told y'all that, right? … Obviously, they can't go and tell y'all something I didn't say."
Morant-Iisalo heated exchange
When another reporter asked Morant if he still has the same joy playing basketball, he said, "Uhm, no."
When asked why, he shrugged it off, and when prompted what needs to happen for him to get it back, he replied, "We'll see."
Advertisement
Then, when asked if he thinks he has a good relationship with the franchise, the 26-year-old said, "Yeah, they told y'all that, right? If I had a good relationship, I wouldn't talk to him at all."
That said, Morant and Iisalo had more than a talk on Friday, as the first-year head coach reportedly called out the star's leadership and effort in front of the entire team. Ja responded in what Shams Charania termed as an "inappropriate and dismissive" manner, thus leading to the one-game suspension.
The confrontation occurred after Morant played 31 minutes against the Lakers, but clearly did not have the usual fire we're accustomed to seeing from him. He also looked disengaged and lackluster throughout the entire contest, which led reporters to ask him afterwards what went wrong. Instead of explaining, he referred to Iisalo, saying, "Go ask the coaching staff. Go ask him…Go ask the coaching staff why."
Advertisement
Butler also lost his "joy" before the trade
More than his spat with Iisalo or his one-game suspension, Morant saying he no longer has the same "joy" playing for the Grizzlies has the internet buzzing.
It was just in January when Jimmy Butler discussed losing his joy playing for Miami , saying he "probably" wouldn't get it back while still with the Heat , which ultimately led to his trade to the Golden State Warriors .
Advertisement
"I want to see my joy back from playing basketball. And wherever that may be, we'll find out pretty soon. I'm happy here, off the court, but I wanna be back to somewhat dominant, I wanna hoop, and I wanna help this team win. And right now, I'm not doing that, " Butler said .
While the Grizzlies and Iisalo say they look forward to moving on from the incident, the relationship between the star player and the team is obviously on shaky ground. Will it lead to a trade? It's hard to say. Will Morant ever find his joy playing in Memphis? That's also hard to predict.
Then again, Butler eventually restored it after joining the Warriors. Maybe a change of scenery would do the same thing for Morant.
Advertisement
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
