Ja Morant Calls Out Ref on Twitter After Being Ejected in Grizzlies' Loss to Knicks
May 4, 2021
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apparently wasn't done saying his piece to NBA referee Tony Brothers.
Morant was ejected with 1:02 left in Monday's 118-104 loss to the New York Knicks.
The reigning Rookie of the Year subsequently addressed the ejection on Twitter:
Speaking with The Athletic's Peter Edmiston for the pool report, Brothers denied using any "threatening language" toward Morant. He also explained why he whistled Morant and Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins for technicals.
"They had been warned and he continued to complain, and I gave him an opportunity to stop and he wouldn't, so I called the first technical foul," Brothers said. "And then he continued to complain and walked toward me and so when he got close to me, I called a second technical foul and ejected him."
Publicly criticizing officiating often draws a fine from the league, so Morant might be hearing from the NBA soon. But his concerns are larger than that at the moment.
With Monday's defeat, the Grizzlies are back to .500 at 32-32, four games behind the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks with eight games remaining. The play-in tournament isn't a certainty just yet, but things are quickly approaching that point.
