Ja Morant addresses his infamous quote about Western Conference foes

Jan 26, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Ja Morant’s infamous quote about his Western Conference rivals has come up a lot lately, but that does not necessarily mean he is backing down from it.

In December, the Memphis Grizzlies guard made headlines when he said he was “fine in the West,” suggesting he did not view any of his conference rivals as major roadblocks in a playoff run. The quote raised some eyebrows at the time, but was quickly brought up again when the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns added Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, respectively.

Working for TNT at the All-Star Game, Draymond Green got the chance to double back to those comments and ask Morant if the Grizzlies were still “fine” despite these big moves.

“Definitely got to look at Phoenix now with adding [Kevin Durant],” Morant said, via Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Obviously, we can’t shy away from [the Warriors], everybody knows y’all always in contention. Champs.

“Still Boston, man. But yeah, I’m still fine in the West.”

In other words, Morant is doubling down. He has some reason to, as Memphis is still No. 2 in the West, but pretty much everyone is expecting the Suns and Mavericks to show improvement with their additions. Plus, the Denver Nuggets have been pacing the conference virtually all season.

Morant thinks he and the Grizzlies have a target on their backs, so he does not really care what people think of his proclamations. If Memphis cannot back them up, though, he’ll be hearing them again, and not in a friendly way.