Klay Thompson doesn't hold back on Ja Morant after run-in during Mavericks-Grizzlies

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday evening at home, 112-106, dropping them to 5-13 on the season. The result of the game was nowhere near as interesting as what happened in the game, though.

It started late in the third quarter when Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama was lying on the floor, reached his hand out, and tripped Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. It was a transition take foul that ended up being upgraded to a flagrant foul for a non-basketball act. That act upset Jason Kidd, who came all the way out on the floor to pick Flagg up, but it really upset Klay Thompson.

And then, a few minutes into the fourth quarter, Thompson tried to tie up the ball with Vince Williams Jr. as the Grizzlies guard went up for a shot, but it ended up being called a foul on Thompson. The future Hall-of-Famer gave Williams a very light shove afterward, which sent Williams flopping to the ground, and Thompson was over it with that, spending the next few minutes chirping with Williams at the free-throw line. Both players received double-technical fouls.

Cooper Flagg got tripped by Santi Aldama, and they are reviewing it to see if it’s a flagrant foul.

Couldn’t be more blatant. pic.twitter.com/hkipn18g85
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 23, 2025

After the game, Ja Morant, who missed the game due to injury, came up to Klay Thompson and called him a "Bum," which led to even more words. And in his postgame press conference, Klay Thompson did NOT hold back.

“It was a great time," Thompson said of all the interactions. "With the tall guy [Aldama], I thought just like that’s not cool. I’ve seen them do dirty stuff before. I remember in the playoffs, 2022, they broke my teammate's elbow on a dirty hit… I don’t like seeing that done to a rookie. That’s not cool… Don’t be dirty. That’s not it…And Williams, I just kept that same energy, kept chirping, thought he flopped when I got tied up with him. And then with Ja, he’s a funny guy. He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability, but you know, that’s for another day.”

I asked Klay Thompson about his heated interactions with Vince Williams Jr., Santi Aldama, and Ja Morant tonight:

“It was a great time. With the tall guy, I thought just like that’s not cool. I’ve seen them do dirty stuff before. I remember in the playoffs, 2022, they broke my… pic.twitter.com/sKtdjgKUrv
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 23, 2025

Klay Thompson Spoke No Lies About Ja Morant

As talented as Ja Morant is, you could argue he's already out of his prime at 26 years old. He looks like he wants out of Memphis, already having been suspended by his coaches this year, and he's played in just 71 of the last 181 games.

Meanwhile, Klay Thompson tore his ACL and Achilles, causing him to miss the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, and he has been able to play in 166 of the last 182 games. People like to make fun of him bragging about the four championships, but he's a future Hall-of-Famer for a reason. He's one of the greatest shooters the NBA has ever seen, so Ja Morant can act like Thompson isn't who he used to be, but at least he's playing. Ja Morant can't say that.

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