Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies announced Tuesday that forward Justise Winslow will miss the rest of the season because of a hip injury.

The injury occurred during an intrasquad scrimmage Monday, as the player explained himself on Twitter:

Last night during a scrimmage, I experienced a contact injury in my hip that unfortunately will keep me out until next season. I was excited to join my brothers on the court & will be supporting them throughout. I’m focused on coming back 100% towards a full recovery. 🤞🏾🐻💙 pic.twitter.com/s4ds2CNSNC

— Justise Winslow (@IAmJustise) July 21, 2020

Rookie Ja Morant also provided a reaction to the injury:

we wit you brotha 💪🏽 https://t.co/Yjkjyzg1Su

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) July 21, 2020

Winslow had been in Orlando, Florida, for the NBA's restarted season, which begins July 30. Memphis has its first game July 31 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Memphis enters the restart as the No. 8 team in the Western Conference and will try to hold on to the playoff position through eight seeding games before the playoffs. There could also be a play-in series for the No. 9 seed if it is within four games of the eighth team in the standings.

The Grizzlies will have to go on without Winslow, who is yet to appear in a game for the team.

Memphis acquired the 24-year-old ahead of the February trade deadline in the deal that sent Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder to the Miami Heat. He remained out with a back injury that had limited him to 11 games with Miami this year until the season was suspended because of the coronavirus in March.

He was finally set to return for the restart, but the latest injury will keep him out.

The No. 10 overall draft pick in 2015 has shown plenty of upside when healthy, averaging 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 2018-19 with the Heat. The 6'6" Duke product is especially known for his defensive ability, which would have helped a Memphis squad that ranks 20th in points allowed per game.

He remains under team control with a $13 million contract for 2020-21 and a $13 million team option for 2021-22.

Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke could see more playing time for the Grizzlies with Winslow unavailable.

It doesn't sound like Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant intends to take advantage of the NBA's anonymous hotline used to provide information about players who may be in violation of the Florida campus rules. 

Asked by reporters about the tip line, Morant essentially pleaded the fifth: "I didn't see nothing, I didn't hear nothing, and ain't saying nothing." 

Even though Morant doesn't sound like he plans on using the hotline, it has reportedly received some calls since teams arrived in Florida last week. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Tuesday that the league has handed down warnings to some players amid multiple calls put into the anonymous tip line. 

Some players share Morant's viewpoint about not wanting to be seen as a snitch. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert told reporters he doesn't intend to use the hotline, calling it "sort of petty" even though he does hope everyone is following the rules. 

The campus concept allows the NBA to operate a controlled environment for the 22 teams in Florida for the season restart.

The only known incident thus far involved Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes and Houston Rockets forward Bruno Caboclo being put into 10-day quarantine for accidentally violating health and safety protocols by straying too far from the established campus boundaries.

Teams have been conducting normal practices since last week in anticipation of the season reboot on July 30.

When he watches Ja Morant play, watches him breeze up the court wearing the Memphis Grizzlies jersey he himself wore not so long ago, Zach Randolph can't help but smile.

"He could be my son!" the 38-year-old Randolph laughs, pointing out that his eldest, at 21, is actually older than the 20-year-old rookie star.

But it's not the thought of the next generation that's got him smiling.

Randolph, who played for the Grizzlies for eight memorable seasons, regularly was making the trip from his home in Los Angeles back to Memphis after retiring in 2019 and before the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shut down the 2019-20 season. It gave him the opportunity to become close with Morant, the team's rookie star and second overall pick in last June's draft—and also to see the impact Morant is having on the fanbase. And doing so, what he sees more than anything is not a next generation but a continuation of the last one.

"He's just like me," Randolph says. "Blue-collar player. Honest. Humble. Heart like a giant. He gives back. The people of Memphis see that Ja is just like them, too: a hard worker, where nothing's been given to him.”

"This city is the best place for him. For his personality."

---

 30 teams, 30 days: The biggest story from each NBA team ahead of the league's return.

Atl | Bos | Bkn | Cha | Chi | Cle
Dal | Den | Det | GS | Hou | Ind
LAC | LAL | Mem | Mia | Mil | Min
NO | NY | OKC | Orl | Phi | Pho
Por | Sac | SA | Tor | Uta | Was

---

Randolph has followed his former club closely to see where the franchise would head as it rebuilt from the Grit and Grind era. Few might have predicted the Grizzlies would have a chance to make the playoffs at this point, as the NBA reboots in Orlando late this month. Randolph likes what he sees, though. "The future is bright for these young Grizzlies," he says. "I think as an organization, we're headed in the right direction.

"The sky is the limit for Ja. I just love his leadership. The thing he's accomplished already, being a franchise player, leading this team as a rookie." Randolph laughs again, thinking of the effect Morant has had on the franchise, beyond his court vision, beyond his electrifying dunks: "Half the gym be Murray State fans."

This, more than anything, is what we've come to expect of Morant, from where we first met him in small Murray, Kentucky, to Memphis. Wherever he goes, he brings with him a magnetism. People must watch him, must support him, must be with him.

"It's his mentality," teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. says. "The fans in Memphis are very hungry. They love the fact that they're always the underdog somewhat, in some way. It's honestly a perfect fit."

Morant relishes the same thing. When people have counted his team out. When they can't imagine a school they've never heard of beating a fifth seed in the NCAA tournament. When they predict his NBA team won't crack 27 wins. Like his city, "he excels when people think he's the underdog," Murray State assistant coach Casey Long says.

"We can always talk about what he does in the gym, but it's the stuff he does outside that makes him a complete professional," Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins says. "The amount of film that he watches, the amount of dialogue he has with his teammates. He is building that chemistry and becoming that leader."

"He's a guy who leads by example—doesn't say too much, but he's very good at communicating what he wants to do on the court in terms of direction," Jackson says. "As a point guard you've got to be able to do that, be an extension of the coach. He does a great job of that."

And for Morant, it's not just about personal expectations. It's about a feeling of collective pride. "He wears the city that he's in on his shoulder," Long says. "He takes unbelievable pride in not only becoming the fabric of that city but wanting to put it on the map."

Memphians have embraced him, and he them, becoming a regular at local institutions such as the Arcade Restaurant, where Elvis Presley used to sit near the back door so he could slip out easily if a fan approached him out of hand.

When Morant and Jackson came in back in January, Morant asked for whatever his waiter would like to serve him; he'd be open to anything. "We brought him Elvis' favorite fried peanut butter banana sandwich," says Kelcie Zepatos, who runs the restaurant (Memphis' oldest, having opened in 1919) with her husband, Jeff Zepatos.

Kelcie remembers the atmosphere during the season—energy Morant helped bring: "It's electrifying. You can feel the buzz in the streets," she says. "Even for dinner before the games, you see everybody walking around."

When Morant signed his rookie contract with the Grizzlies in July, he brought his family, about eight people, to the famed Majestic Grille on Main Street, about two blocks from where the Grizzlies play. The restaurant used to be a silent-picture theater and has been around for over 100 years. Morant came in, wearing a tie, happy to be with his loved ones, embarking on his dream of becoming a pro.

"The whole family was tickled, just sweet," says Deni Reilly, who runs the restaurant with her husband, Patrick Reilly. "I remember thinking: He's so young! We were all excited about getting such a high pick."

Reilly's seven-year-old son, Seamus, immediately became one of Morant's biggest fans. Every time Morant runs down the court and scores inside, Seamus walks closer to the television and exclaims: "That quick guy! That is the quick guy!" Quick guy is his nickname for Morant.

Mark Griffin, a manager of one of the city's many local Huey's restaurants, has been a Grizzlies fan ever since the team moved from Vancouver. "That was a big deal, when we finally got a franchise," Griffin says. He felt like Morant was the right pick for Memphis. "You really loved the guy right off the bat. We started to click immediately with him and his underdog story. He's just so fun to watch."

That's what motivates season-ticket holder Lucas Horrell, 34, to make a four-hour round trip from his home in Missouri just to see the team play at least once a week. He sits near Morant's parents and has gotten to know the family a bit.

"It's almost like a vacation in a way for me: getting away, enjoying the game," he says.

It's given many hope for the future. "He's helping develop the new Grizzlies identity," Reilly says. "Even with the goggles that he does, he's given us a personality."

Adds Horrell, "When he's on the court, the whole team just seems to flow better."

The results on the court, indeed, have been a huge improvement. Averaging 17.6 points and 6.9 assists per game, Morant is the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year and has helped the Grizzlies to a 32-33 record after they went 33-49 last season and 22-60 the season before. They enter the restart in eighth place in the Western Conference standings, 3.5 games ahead of the Trail Blazers, Kings and Pelicans. If all goes according to the NBA’s plan, teams will play a final eight regular-season games when play resumes, after which the eighth-place team will make the playoffs if it's ahead by more than four games or play a play-in tournament against the ninth-place team if not.

Morant appears to be very ready for the challenge, to get back at it. When players were allowed to resume practices together, Jackson says, "We were in there as much as possible, literally. It felt like we lived in there, almost. That's how we like it, anyway."

Morant also gained 12 pounds of muscle during the shutdown, according to his former Murray State coaches, with whom he still constantly checks in. Not that it's all basketball, all the time. Morant, who became a father last August and is an active Instagrammer of photos of his daughter, now has more than hoops to talk about with his old coaches. They talk about first smiles. Cleaning up. Diapers. Giggles. First teeth. Crawls. Staying up all night. He joked with the coaches recently about how they all manage to get some sleep.

"We're watching him becoming a man in front of our eyes," Long says.

A man with that same demeanor he had in college, eager to make his mark, eager to prove people wrong. "He has kept that same hunger," says Tim Kaine, another Murray State assistant coach. "He just stays focused, always being in the moment."

"I see a great commitment from him every single day to get better," Murray State head coach Matt McMahon says. "That'll really allow him to continue to grow into his stardom for the next 15, 20 years.

"He's a once-in-a-lifetime player."

One who just seems to fit with the small-town feel of Memphis, same as he did in Murray, Kentucky, and Dazell, South Carolina, where he was born and raised. That's something his high school coach, Dwayne Edwards of Crestwood High, hopes he never forgets.

Edwards attended a Grizzlies game this season and proudly wore his Crestwood basketball shirt. He spotted his former player making highlight-reel dunks, absorbing contact, dazzling, finishing. He looked comfortable. He looked like he belonged.

Edwards thought back to a conversation he had with Morant when he was drafted by Memphis, one he's had with him regularly over the years, since high school: "Regardless of where you're at, remember where you are from," Edwards told Morant. "Be proud of where you are from. Please, always remember. Always remember where you started."

         

Mirin Fader is a staff writer for B/R Mag. She's written for the Orange County Register, espnW.com, SI.com and Slam. Her work has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the Football Writers Association of America, the Los Angeles Press Club and the Best American Sports Writing series. Follow her on Twitter: @MirinFader.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie sensation Ja Morant surprised his dad with a new car Wednesday.

Morant posted a video of his father's reaction to the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat:

.@JaMorant got his dad a new car

His biggest fan since before the NBA 👏 https://t.co/OqQoEoHjbg

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 8, 2020

During a June 2019 interview with Clinton Yates of The Undefeated, the 20-year-old Murray State product credited his dad, Tee Morant, for helping him become the player he is through training and keeping his ego in check:

"My dad trained me my whole life, so, that's where we get our connection. Then once I got old enough to actually know, like, what he was doing with some of the stuff he did, I realized that it helped me. … Like him, calling me overrated and stuff. Like this past season, I heard that every away game and it didn't bother me because I could take it from my dad, so, the fans didn't bother me at all."

Morant has shone in his debut campaign with the Grizzlies. He averaged 17.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds across 59 appearances before the 2019-20 season was halted March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eXUXgp7-wk

Memphis is one of the 22 teams involved in the NBA's restart plans, with its first game scheduled for July 31 against the Portland Trail Blazers as play resumes at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.

The South Carolina native presented his dad with an awesome gift and a memorable moment before the focus shifts back toward basketball.

While the internet spent much of Thursday discussing Zion Williamson's transformation during the NBA's hiatus, fellow rookie Ja Morant has also bulked up in this span. 

The Memphis Grizzlies guard said he has gained 12 pounds of muscle over the past three months, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

"I'm stronger, can absorb contact and those things," Morant said. "Able to use my body more, get through different screens. That's what I was looking to build going to Orlando, to be able to do the things that I've been doing before but better."

The Grizzlies will head into the restarted season in Orlando with the eighth-best record in the Western Conference. The team currently has a 3.5-game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings and will hope to keep the spread over the course of eight seeding games before the playoffs.

Morant has been a key part of the team's success all year, but the 2019 No. 2 overall pick could be even more dangerous going forward. He said the extra time working out has helped his previously injured knee and he is now "jumping higher."

"I've just been taking this time to focus on my body, make sure everything's feeling good, so when I go out and play, I'll be fine."

Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant apologized Sunday for sharing a controversial image on social media:

‼️✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/WU6AEKuDa0

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 29, 2020

The original post, which has since been deleted, featured an image of Morant with his No. 12 jersey edited to read "F--k 12," which has become a common message of disdain for the police. The "12" refers to narcotics officers.

According to TMZ Sports, Morant posted the image on Twitter with the caption, "want dat on my jersey fr."

The 20-year-old clarified his message Sunday, stating in part:

"My post was intended to focus on the bad cops who get away with the murder of unarmed Black men and women, and those who continue to harass peaceful BLACK LIVES MATTER protestors. ... There have been too many Black lives taken by police that could have been prevented. You may see me as just a basketball player and I may lose fans for taking a stand, but I won't stay silent."

Morant is one of several NBA players who have used their platform to speak out on social issues over the past month following the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.

The Murray State product sent a letter to a judge in Kentucky requesting the removal of a Confederate statue near his former university:

Take a minute to read Ja Morant's plea to take down the Confederate statue in his college town pic.twitter.com/jtumz2bboM

— Kavitha A. Davidson (@kavithadavidson) June 14, 2020

Morant has become a star in the NBA after being taken with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft. The guard enters the league's restarted season with averages of 17.6 points and 6.9 assists per game, making him a favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award.

The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly reached a verbal agreement with forward Anthony Tolliver on Sunday that can be finalized Tuesday. 

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported the news, noting Tuesday is when the NBA's one-week transaction window is open. Stein also reported Tolliver was on the verge of completing a 10-day deal with the Grizzlies when the league suspended its season on March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The veteran Tolliver, 35, appeared in 33 games for the Portland Trail Blazers and nine games with the Sacramento Kings this season before joining the Grizzlies.

He is averaging 3.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game across his time with all three teams, although he averaged 5.4 points a night in his five games with the Grizzlies. He also connected on 41.2 percent of his triples, which is likely exactly what Memphis will ask him to do when the season restarts in Orlando, Florida.

Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. will likely draw much of the opposing defense's attention, which will open up outside shots for Tolliver and others.

Tolliver has also played for the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns throughout his career, which started during the 2008-09 campaign.

Memphis is 32-33 on the season, which is good enough for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. It is 3.5 games ahead of the Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Kings for the final spot in the playoffs.

Every team will play eight regular-season games when play resumes, and there will be a play-in tournament for the No. 8 seed if the No. 9 seed is within four games. From there, the remaining 16 teams will play a traditional playoffs format with best-of-seven series until a champion is decided.

Despite interest from elsewhere, it seems Anthony Tolliver will be sticking with the Memphis Grizzlies.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Grizzlies are the "likely destination" for the veteran forward:

To be eligible to sign a rest-of-season contract, players must have held an NBA or G- League contract this season ... or were NOT under contract this season with a professional team outside of the United States, league sources say

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 20, 2020

Tolliver, 35, appeared in five games for the Grizzlies before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to be suspended. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game, shooting an impressive 41.2 percent from three. 

He was playing for his third team in the 2019-20 season, following stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings. 

The veteran journeyman has also played for San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns in his 12-year career. 

Staying in Memphis would make sense for Tolliver. He was getting solid minutes before the season was put on hiatus and the Grizzlies 32-33 are the current eighth seed in the Western Conference, with a 3.5-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings, a four-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs and a six-game lead over the Phoenix Suns. 

Those five teams chasing the Grizzlies will all be in Orlando fighting for a playoff berth. If the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds in the West finish within four games of each other, a play-in tournament will decide which team gets the final spot. 

Barring a monumental collapse, the Grizzlies should be one of those two teams, giving Tolliver an excellent shot at playing postseason basketball if he remains with Memphis. 

Memphis Grizzlies forward Justise Winslow took to social media to voice his displeasure with the NBA and National Basketball Players Association for putting money before the game of basketball and player safety. 

In an Instagram story, Winslow wrote that it's "All About The Benjamins baby" and tagged the NBA and players association (warning: contains vulgar language):

Justise Winslow sends shots at the NBA and NBPA for only caring about money pic.twitter.com/PFXxufValX

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 19, 2020

Winslow is the latest NBA player to question the league's decision to resume the season amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on June 10 that "40 to 50 players" took part in conference calls to discuss "a number of concerns centered on the restart in Orlando."

Among the concerns listed was "the prudence of restarting the season for a number of players, especially those on non-championship contenders."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN's Mike Greenberg (h/t NBA.com's Steve Aschburner) this week about why the league is working to finish this season:

"A lot of people have pointed to the financial component of this. The incremental difference at this point between playing and not playing isn't nearly as great as people think, especially given the enormous expense of putting this on.

"It's more a sense from the entire NBA community that we have an obligation to try this. Because the alternative is to stay on the sideline. And the alternative is to, in essence, give in to this virus."

Winslow has only played in 11 games this season and has been out of action since Jan. 8 because of a back injury. He was traded by the Miami Heat to the Grizzlies on Feb. 6 as part of a three-team deal. 

Memphis is currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a 32-33 record. It will be one of 22 teams participating in the season restart in Orlando next month. 

The Memphis Grizzlies will be offering paid time off to vote. 

The team announced in a statement that employees would be given the option to use PTO for local and national elections:

"We looked internally to understand what additional ways we could support all members of our organization, and recognized that under our current time off policy, staff may have to make a financial sacrifice in order to exercise their right to vote. Knowing fundamentally that change happens at the ballot box, we've created a new category of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used specifically in order to vote so that during local and national elections our staff will never have to make a decision between voting or incurring a financial loss."

According to the Pew Research Center, just "56 percent of the U.S. voting-age population" voted in the 2016 presidential election:

"The 55.7 percent VAP turnout in 2016 puts the U.S. behind most of its peers in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), most of whose members are highly developed, democratic states. Looking at the most recent nationwide election in each OECD nation, the U.S. placed 26th out of 32 (current VAP estimates weren’t available for three countries)."

While some of that may come down to apathy—and voter suppression efforts also have an impact—getting to the ballot box for some people can be difficult given their work schedule. 

Since Election Day is not a national holiday in the United States, some workers face difficulties getting out to vote. Measures like companies offering PTO on election days helps to combat that conflict. 

The move by the Grizzlies is a positive one, and it will be interesting to see if other NBA teams adopt it going further.