Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant isn't sweating the Western Conference.

During an interview on ESPN's NBA Today on Wednesday, Malika Andrews asked Morant who he thought the Memphis Grizzlies might have to get through to win a title, and he said the Boston Celtics.

"No one in the West?" Andrews followed up.

"Nah," Morant replied. "I'm fine in the West."

The Grizzlies (19-11) are tied for the top record in the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets. Other contenders include the New Orleans Pelicans (18-12), Phoenix Suns (19-13) and Los Angeles Clippers (19-14).

Then there's the matter of the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who have limped out to a 15-18 record but have still won four of the last eight NBA championships.

But Morant isn't sweating them or anybody else in the conference.

Ja Morant is getting his signature shoe.

Nike reportedly will be working with the Memphis Grizzlies' star point guard on a signature line of sneakers after dropping Kyrie Irving on Monday, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium:

Morant, 23, has emerged as one of the NBA's brightest young stars since being drafted No. 2 overall by Memphis in 2019. He's shown improvement every season and has been superb in the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 28.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.

He's also one of the most exciting and explosive players to watch in the NBA, with an impressive highlight reel of astonishing finishes in his young career.

That makes him highly marketable, so getting a signature shoe seemed like an inevitability. The end of Irving's relationship with Nike potentially accelerated the process.

Irving, 30, had one of Nike's most popular signature shoe lines over the years, but the company suspended him on Nov. 4 after he amplified an antisemitic film on social media. After Irving refused to denounce antisemitism and apologize for his actions on more than one occasion while speaking with reporters, Nike took action, and Irving was suspended as well by the Nets.

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the company said in a statement at the time. "We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."

Irving is now a sneaker free agent, a fact he didn't seem to be lamenting on social media Monday:

It remains to be seen if Irving will land another shoe or apparel deal and whether his actions surrounding his promotion of the antisemitic film will affect his appeal for those companies.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was fined $35,000 for directing inappropriate language toward an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected from Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Morant was ejected with 1:22 remaining in the game, just seconds after teammate Dillon Brooks sent to the locker room. After the game, the All-Star guard took to social media to cast some blame on the officiating crew for its inappropriate language.

Morant has not gone into detail to explain what the official said to him. Earlier this month, Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie accused official Tony Brothers of calling him a "b---h ass motherf--ker" during a game.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the NBA forced Brothers to miss a game assignment as a result of the incident. The league never announced a punishment for Brothers because it was not a formal suspension.

While the NBA has taken a hard line on issuing punishment to players who disrespect officials, it would behoove the league to keep the same energy with referees. If Morant says an official directed profanity at him, it's only reasonable the NBA looks into the matter and then announces the result of the investigation publicly.

Allowing officials to make inappropriate comments to players unchecked will only further damage the sometimes-fraught relationship between the two parties.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant left his team's home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a left ankle injury.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Mike Ceide of WREG TV offered more insight and context.

The injury occurred with the Grizzlies up 106-100 with just over three minutes remaining. He had 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in 32 minutes before exiting. Tyus Jones replaced him on the court to finish off a 121-110 win.

Morant's health became the biggest storyline of the Grizzlies' second-round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors last season. That an injury appeared to happen during a play when Warriors guard Jordan Poole grabbed his knee only added to the controversy of the series that also saw Gary Payton II fracture his elbow from a hard flagrant foul by Dillon Brooks.

The Grizzlies announced Morant was out for the rest of the playoffs with a bone bruise in his right knee, and he played just 57 games during the regular season.

That, along with the reality that he is the face of the franchise, made his health a focal point heading into the 2022-23 campaign.

When healthy, Morant is one of the best players in the NBA who entered Friday with 29.3 points, 6.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game after posting 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in 2021-22.

One silver lining for Memphis is the fact it went 20-5 without him last season. It will likely turn toward Jones to start if Morant is sidelined following this setback.

Ja Morant and Desmond Bane combined for 52 points to carry the Memphis Grizzlies to a 114-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

It marked the fifth win in the past six games for the Grizz, which improved to 9-4 overall. Either Morant or Bane has led the team in scoring in all but one of its games so far during the 2022-23 season.

"Top two, not two. That's the easiest question ever," Morant told reporters earlier this week when asked where the Grizzlies' backcourt ranks in the NBA.

After another monster performance, more people are starting to agree with the emerging MVP candidate. Let's check out some Twitter reaction to the duo's latest standout effort:

Here's a look at the guards' individual stat lines from Friday's victory:

• Morant: 28 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL in 34 minutes
• Bane: 24 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL in 33 minutes

Dillon Brooks also chipped in 21 points for the Grizzlies, which shot 50 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 46-33.

Anthony Edwards was the only major bright spot for the Wolves in the loss. He matched Morant with a game-high 28 points along with six rebounds and six assists.

Minnesota dropped to 5-8 with its sixth loss in the past seven games.

Next up for the Grizzlies is a visit to Capital One Arena on Sunday to face off with the Washington Wizards.

The Memphis Grizzlies announced forward Ziaire Williams is expected to return in four-to-six weeks from a knee injury that was diagnosed as patellar tendinitis.

The Grizzlies bet big on Williams as a key piece of their present and future. They traded Jonas Valanciunas in a three-way deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets to acquire the No. 10 overall pick that was used to select the Stanford big man in the 2021 draft.

A small forward, Williams was clearly not going to play the same role as Valanciunas in Memphis. The 21-year-old was inconsistent in his only season at Stanford. He averaged 10.7 points on 37.4 percent shooting and 4.6 rebounds per game in 20 appearances for the Cardinal.

Williams also struggled out of the gate as a rookie. He averaged 8.1 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting in 62 regular-season appearances.

The Grizzlies clearly believe in Williams' ceiling, but his absence right now will slow down his developmental track. They still have so much depth and star power, led by Ja Morant, to be a force in the Western Conference this season.

Until Williams is able to return, Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins will rely on Dillon Brooks and John Konchar as his primary small forwards.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant praised Memphis Grizzlies cornerstone Ja Morant as the "face of our league going forward" before the teams' meeting Monday night, which ended in a 134-124 Memphis win.

Durant clarified the remark, saying there's some competition for that top spot in the NBA, but he noted Morant is "doing some stuff that we've never seen before."

Morant recorded 38 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 34 minutes for the Grizzlies, and KD was asked whether the point guard reminded him of anyone.

"Nobody really," Durant said. "He's a unique player. A lot of athleticism and creativity out there. Body type reminds you of somebody like—well he's taller than A.I. [Allen Iverson], but a wiry, strong player ... but he's an incredible player, man."

The 23-year-old Murray State product started to show signs of reaching his full potential last season, earning his first All-Star selection and the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

It's only a four-game sample size, but the early returns suggest he may take his game up another level in 2022-23. He's averaged 35.3 points, 7.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 threes while shooting 54.8 percent from the field during the team's 3-1 start.

Backcourt running mate Desmond Bane is also playing at an All-Star pace in the early going, including 38 points of his own in Monday night's victory.

As a whole, it's given the Grizzles the look of a serious threat after finishing second in the Western Conference last season, and it all starts with Morant.

"He's an incredible athlete," Nets point guard Ben Simmons said prior to Monday's matchup. "He pushes the pace, gets his team going, shares the ball. He's relentless at the rim, so we just got to be physical."

Morant and Bane combined for 56.7 percent of the Grizzlies' points (76 of 134) against the Nets in what became a dual of superstars. Durant and Kyrie Irving put together a similar performance for Brooklyn, combining to score 74 points.

Memphis will look to continue its early-season surge when it opens a four-game road trip Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings.

Steven Adams and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a two-year, $25.2 million contract extension, his agent told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday.

Adams was set to enter the final year of his contract in 2022-23 worth $17.9 million. The extension ties him to Memphis for the next three years and $43.1 million.

Adams is entering his second season with the Grizzlies.

The 29-year-old put together a respectable 2021-22 campaign, averaging 6.9 points, 10 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 76 games while shooting 54.7 percent from the floor, helping the Grizzlies finish second in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record before they were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the West semifinals.

Adams was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft out of Pitt. He spent seven seasons with the franchise, his best year coming during the 2018-19 campaign when he averaged 13.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 80 games while shooting 59.5 percent from the floor.

The Thunder traded Adams to the New Orleans Pelicans in a four-team trade ahead of the 2020-21 season. That deal also included the Milwaukee Bucks, who landed Jrue Holiday in the swap, and the Denver Nuggets.

In his lone season with the Pelicans, Adams averaged 7.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 58 games while shooting 61.4 percent from the floor.

Now entering his second season in Memphis, Adams will continue to serve as the team's starting center, joining a starting unit that includes Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and Brandon Clarke. His backups include Xavier Tillman and Santi Aldama.

Considering Adams is one of the oldest players on this young Grizzlies squad, it's no surprise Memphis wanted to lock him up for a few more seasons.

The Grizzlies are slated to open the 2022-23 campaign against the New York Knicks on Oct. 19.

Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant said players around the NBA have started to respect his game, but he noted his willingness to talk trash in the heat of battle has rubbed some opponents the wrong way.

Morant discussed his relationship with fellow players Tuesday on The Pivot podcast (via ClutchPoints):

The 23-year-old Murray State product is already building an impressive resume. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2019-20 and he's coming off a campaign where he earned his first All-Star selection while capturing the Most Improved Player Award.

Morant averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 49.3 percent from the field in 57 games last season. He finished seventh in MVP voting.

One thing the dynamic point guard doesn't lack is confidence.

In July, Morant told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks he wanted to go up against Michael Jordan and the dynastic 1990s Chicago Bulls.

"I would have cooked [MJ], too," he said. "Nobody got more confidence than 12. ... I'm definitely gonna go and say nobody is gonna beat me one-on-one in anything. I don't care what sport it is, soccer. Who the best player in soccer? C'mon. We can play."

Morant and the Grizzlies have made steady progress across his three seasons, going from 34 wins in his rookie year to 56 last season, when they reached the Western Conference Semifinals before losing to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.

Memphis will look to take another step toward championship contention in 2022-23, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Morant finishes closer to the top of the MVP race.