On Saturday, during the Memphis Grizzlies‘ 102-96 victory against the Dallas Mavericks, Ja Morant and Klay Thompson got into an altercation. After the game, Morant approached Thompson and started talking smack while pointing his finger. The four-time champion stood up for himself and also had something to say to the Grizzlies star. Morant didn’t play that night but still had a lot to say to the opposing team.
Experts are still debating Morant’s encounter with Thompson days after it happened. On Tuesday’s episode of “Gil’s Arena,” former NBA star Kenyon Martin had something to say about the two-time All-Star. According to Martin, the star point guard isn’t tough enough since he held back when he pointed his finger at Thompson.
The former Denver Nuggets star called Morant “fake tough” for pulling back when he confronted the Mavericks veteran.
“I wanna know when Ja became tough,” Martin said. “If you really want smoke with him, right? Why you don’t extend your arm all the way? Why you got the bend in the elbow to point in the face? You fake tough and you fake like you want smoke with the dude. Why not just go ahead and tough him? Why not go in put your finger all in his face if you really want smoke?
"I just wanna know when Ja became tough?"
The crew break down Ja Morant talking sh*t to Klay Thompson while on the bench. pic.twitter.com/UmvWOrSwCY
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) November 25, 2025
“Say something. You ain’t gotta put your finger in his face. You ain’t gonna take it to the next level, so just keep it at words.”
After the altercation, Thompson had some comments regarding Ja Morant. The seasoned athlete said he found it funny that someone was sitting on the bench and spewing trash.
Rachel Nichols addressed Ja Morant’s actions toward Klay Thompson
It’s early in the 2025-26 NBA season, but there’s already a lot to be said about Ja Morant’s campaign. The Grizzlies’ star has dealt with issues with his coaching staff. Now, his interaction with Thompson has taken over the center stage.
Other specialists have expressed their thoughts regarding the encounter in addition to Martin. Rachel Nichols, one of them, mentioned Thompson’s titles.
“I thought the best description I’ve heard about this in the last 24 hours was [senior NBA writer at The Ringer] Howard Beck, our friend, who said look, Klay Thompson’s a made man, and you’re not,” she said. “And as someone who recently rewatched Goodfellas for the 3,600th time, I can tell you it is the perfect way to say it.”
“You can’t screw with a made man,” she continued. “And Klay Thompson has won four rings, and Ja Morant has won one playoff series.”
Thompson is in the latter stages of his career. But he’s already cemented himself as one of the best stars to play. Morant, on the other hand, has struggled to stay away from trouble since emerging as a potential star in the NBA.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
