What was supposed to be a normal practice in Berlin turned into one of the weirdest moments of the Grizzlies’ season. Ja Morant and Vince Williams Jr. got into a heated exchange that went viral once the audio leaked, and it immediately raised eyebrows around the league.
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Morant came in seemingly saying, “I don’t f*** with y’all, I’m with whatever,” as the exchange escalated. When Williams suggested taking it “to the back,” Ja shot it down immediately with “Why? I’m right here,” before dismissing him with, “You’ve been here five minutes, you’re not like that.” It came off less like normal trash talk and more like pure frustration spilling out in real time.
More than anything, it sounded like a team on edge. This wasn’t just about two players screaming at each other. It was a glimpse into how tense things have become in Memphis, with a season that has gone way off script, and a narrative continuing to build around Ja’s potential exit from the franchise.
Rockets superstar Fred VanVleet weighed in on the drama on the latest edition of his YouTube program. “I watched that video a couple of times. It could be something, it could be nothing. That could been about something or actually it could have been about nothing. I just hate that THAT was on camera,” admitted the 31-year-old baller.
“I wish that could have been handled behind closed doors, whatever the situation was, because it just don’t help to add to what all the discourse is around Ja at this point. And I like Ja, I wish him the best. I just think it don’t help the narrative that’s being built around him.”
VanVleet is speaking about what a lot of people are thinking about the situation. It’s getting way overblown and only adding to the Morant drama that has plagued him for the past few years. Not only that, but teammates are allowed to argue. Back in the day fists were thrown and it was common.
And the Rockets star agreed. He recalled a time something similar happened to him and how it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“I had a teammate stand over me in a game one time. We had an argument on the court, and some words were exchanged. This sh** happens too by the way. People argue bro. We men dawg. We not always going to get along. It’s high intensity. High stress.”
At some point, this stops being about the argument itself and starts being about timing and optics. In a vacuum, two competitive guys barking at each other during practice is nothing new. But when a team is already struggling and your franchise player is constantly under a microscope, even small moments get magnified into something bigger.
That’s the tricky part for Memphis right now. The yelling isn’t the story. It’s the fact that everything around Ja feels louder than it should, and until the Grizzlies settle on a clear direction, every clip, every quote, and every practice moment is going to keep feeding a narrative that probably doesn’t need any more fuel.
