Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant received a $35K fine for “confronting and directing inappropriate language toward a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner” after he was ejected from a 109-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Morant had implied that officials have “too much power.”
While Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards nodded and smiled as he prepared to shoot free throws, whatever Morant said to the office resulted in almost immediate expulsion.
“Was there a technical foul that resulted in his dismissal?” a reporter inquired.
Morant continued speaking with the official after the call, then walked around the court to bid Edwards and other Memphis players goodbye before leaving the court.
The expulsion seemed to surprise the Grizzlies. On his way out, he smiled, laughed, and clapped.
Morant made it clear after the game that he doesn’t think the ejection was necessary.
He captioned a game photo on his Instagram story, “too much power. Nowadays, if you tell the same thing they told you, you get kicked out. It is unclear what Morant and the official discussed.
In the final quarter, Morant wasn’t the only player to be benched. His wasn’t even the main discharge inside that brief range. Dillon Brooks, a teammate of the Grizzlies, was also kicked out of the game a few seconds prior to Morant’s technical because he talked to a referee after being called for a foul on Edwards.
With four technical fouls this season, Morant is tied for ninth in the NBA.
In 34 minutes of action, he had 24 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals for the night.
Morant led the Grizzlies to the NBA’s second-best regular-season record during his tenure with the team.
With a 13-9 record, they are fourth in the Western conference at the moment.