Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant isn’t holding back after former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins implied he played a major role in boosting Morant’s national profile.
During a recent episode of Tony Allen’s Out of the Mud podcast, Perkins praised Morant’s play but also suggested he was one of the main reasons ESPN began heavily featuring the Grizzlies, claiming his on-air support helped elevate both the team and its young superstar.
“I was cool with Ja at one point,” Perkins said. “But when Ja started getting into trouble with some of his off-court activities, I had to speak up. Ja don’t really F with me no more on that. But to be honest, in that type of situation, I don’t F with Ja.”
Perkins went further, suggesting that his praise led to a surge in national attention for Memphis. “They recognized you because of me speaking highly of you [...] It ain’t no coincidence that you went from having three games on ESPN national television to 52.”
Morant didn’t take kindly to those comments and clapped back on X, making it clear he wasn’t amused.
“You’re the reason for my notoriety, Perk? Come on, dawg. 😂 You’re showing them why I don’t f**k with your kind,” Morant wrote.
Perkins has also spoken publicly about a traumatic episode from 2021 when comments he made about the Milwaukee Bucks drew an extreme backlash. He told podcast listeners that the fallout included violent messages sent to his wife’s account, threats that named his children and claimed to know where the family lived.