The Memphis Grizzlies battled the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center in Arizona last night, a matchup that featured a few showdowns between Ja Morant and Kevin Durant. The two superstars not only played lockdown defense on one another but indulged in a bit of jaw-jacking as well. Now, the audio of their trash talk has been ‘leaked’ to the public.
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Things started on Durant’s side. After switching off a defender, the 15-time All-Star forced Morant into taking a contested shot from the top of the key, which he missed.
Durant then screamed, “No sir, Ja!” multiple times. This prompted Morant to warn Durant that he would “be right back,” but Durant shouted to his teammates “That’s not his game.”
At a later point in the contest, Morant was guarding Durant and forced him to shoot an off-balance floater while driving the hoop. The basket was missed, but Durant thought he was fouled, even screaming, “And one!” assuming it would go in. Morant chuckled and hit Durant with a, “No sir.”
LEAKED Audio Of Kevin Durant Trash Talking Ja Morant:
Durant: “No sir, Ja! That’s not his game”
Morant: “I’ll be right back”
Then, after a miss, Ja clapped back at KD:
Durant: “And-one!”
Morant: “No sir”
Lastly, Grizzlies players said: “congrats gang” to KD’s 30k pts. pic.twitter.com/0R7NV6530P
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) February 12, 2025
As exciting as it was to watch these two superior offensive scorers trade possessions, watching them taunt one another was an added layer of fun. Durant has never been afraid to run his mouth on the court, including with a legend like Gary Payton. He usually backs it up with his Hall of Fame-level of play out on the hardwood.
Morant is no scrub though, and isn’t one to just back down from a challenge, having frequently gotten into a war of words with players on the court. It’s heartwarming to see the Murray State alum not alter his persona after everything that he’s gone through at such a young age.
Kevin Durant and Ja Morant did show each other respect post-game.
It wasn’t all hate on the floor. Kevin Durant made history by becoming the 8th player to surpass 30K points in the NBA. Ja Morant and the Grizzles would win the game 118-112, but the young star paid his respects to the two-time NBA Champion by offering him the game ball.
While reaching this milestone didn’t mean all too much to Durant, the kind words from Morant did. The told the media in the post-game presser that Morant is a competitor of the highest nature and is someone he admired dating back to his college days at Murray State University.
“For Ja to show me that respect means a lot to me. He’s a young player that I’ve admired since he was in college,” stated Durant.
Durant’s passion on the court is being under appreciated due to the media whirlwind that continuously surrounds him. He’s always looked to propel the game forward and in doing so, has amassed a litany of young stars who look up to him.
Ja is one of several players who have shown him a great deal of respect. Devin Booker, upon KD’s 30k achievement, revealed his favorite player was always Durant growing up, even rocking his shoes as a kid ont he regular. Of course, Anthony Edwards has been the most outspoken about his love for the Thunder icon so it isn’t surprising that KD is showing love back to all of these up and coming superstars.
