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“There Should Be Billboards of Ja Morant, Elvis Presley is Dead!”: Stephen A. Smith Disrespects The King of Rock & Roll For Still Being Face of Memphis

Akash Murty
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“There Should Be Billboards of Ja Morant, Elvis Presley is Dead!”: Stephen A. Smith Disrespects The King of Rock & Roll For Still Being Face of Memphis

It has not been even a month since Ja Morant came into trouble for posing with a gun on Instagram while he was in a strip club in Denver and missed 9 games because of the suspension.

And when his own team must still be in a conundrum about the face of their franchise, Stephen A Smith has suggested that the city of Memphis should replace Elvis Presley with the 23-year-old All-Star.

“They’ve got signs of Elvis. They got billboards of Elvis and Graceland,” Smith started. “There should be billboards of Ja Morant. Elvis is dead, Kendrick Perkins. It’s over. God rest his soul.”

Elvis Presley and Memphis

The King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, is not just the poster boy of Memphis, he is the heart and soul of the city that’s situated in Tennessee.

From the Sun Studio to Elvis’ Graceland mansion, Presley is yet nowhere near to being the history of the city. He gets celebrated there like a god, and rightfully so. The man was one of the biggest cultural icons of the 20th century.

Which is why fans went off on Stephen A. Smith.

It might not cause as much rage as say if Skip Bayless tried to Dallas to have Luka Doncic over The D.O.C. But wait, is Luka Magic already bigger there? Ja has got a bigger task anyway.

Why is too early for Ja Morant to be the face of Memphis?

When Boston is not sure about whether Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is the face of the city in sports since Tom Brady took his talents away from New England, it would not make sense for Ja to be the face of the city.

Not until he does something great with Grizzlies. He will have a chance to get started on it in a few days when probably LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakers come knocking for the first round of Playoffs.

The man must lead his team to the NBA Finals at the very least for even being in the same conversation as Elvin Presley.

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

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An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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