Ja Morant is the man the Memphis Grizzlies need to win their first NBA title. However, the past couple of seasons haven’t been kind to him, with distractions on and off the court stopping him from being his best.
Ja hasn’t been statistically brilliant this season compared to his previous campaign, but everyone knows that he’s the most dangerous Memphis player whenever he has the ball in his hands. This proves to be true when they took down a strong Sacramento Kings team.
While they managed to win the game, Morant was ejected late in the game due to a second technical foul. The decision was so controversial that fans weren’t shy about expressing their frustrations with the officiating.
With such an incident putting a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth, the NBA released a statement that explains the thought process behind the ejection.
NBA releases statement explaining logic behind Ja Morant’s ejection during Grizzlies-Kings game
It was natural that the league would be speaking up on Morant’s controversial ejection, since the Grizzlies’ high-flying guard is one of the most influential figures in the league. However, some fans may find the league’s Pool Report disappointing.
Per Sports Illustrated’s Liam Willerup:
The NBA has explained this ejection via a Pool Report conducted by Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal with Crew Chief Pat Fraher.
“Going back to Ja Morant’s first technical around the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter, why was he accessed the technical foul?” Cole asked.
Fraher then responded, “At 8:07 on the out of bounds play on the baseline Morant points and uses profanity towards an official.”
Cole followed up by asking, “Could you explain why Ja was called for the foul on DeMar DeRozan that led to the ejection?”
“In live play the official thought that Morant bumped DeRozan on his jump shot. However, after postgame review Morant was in legal guarding position and should not have been called for a foul,” Fraher said in response.
Cole concluded by asking, “Why was Morant accessed the second technical foul? Was it something he said or gesturing at the officials?”
“As Morant walked to the bench, he used multiple points and profanity towards an official,” Fraher said.
Given Morant’s personality, it’s understandable why the official didn’t feel satisfied with how Morant addressed the issue. It’s fortunate that Morant will be available to play for Memphis when they face the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
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