Sometimes you just need to know where to draw the line. But sadly, Stephen A. Smith often forgets his pencil at home. Walking into ESPN’s studio, the veteran analyst speaks his mind– loud and bold. Fearless reporting, yes, that’s the SAS style. However, this trait has attracted more hatred than love for the 57-year-old. Surely calling Giannis Antetokounmpo an “underachiever” wasn’t enough drama for him. He went to the extent of attacking Ja Morant’s home. And this didn’t sit well with the Grizzlies superstar.On First Take, Stephen A. Smith hinted Memphis isn’t on NBA players’ wish lists. The Morris twins pushed back, but the city’s reputation and environment sparked a deeper, uneasy truth. “The people in Memphis… It’s a great sports town. Great fans. Great people,” SAS said. “Yeah, but there’s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You’ve got to clean some of that stuff up, because it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They’ve told me.”It’d be an interesting turn of the episode, the day Smith starts citing his sources. But that ain’t happening soon, and Ja Morant entered the drama to slam the veteran voice of the media. The 25-year-old guard tweeted: “talkin bout the grizz more than the finals wit these ahh sources.” He paired this tweet with another message. Morant added: “instead of focusing on the performances we seen from jdub/shai , tj/siakam, how this series is going . we say sumn negative about a city/team on a national level.” talkin bout the grizz more than the finals wit these ahh sources— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 17, 2025Clearly, the superstar isn’t happy with Stephen A.’s comments that find their roots in Jimmy Butler’s “anywhere but Memphis” trade request back in February when he was desperate to escape from Miami. Thus shifting the world’s attention from his trade rumors, Ja Morant swooped in to defend Memphis and its people who love him so much, and keep their faith in him.This is a developing story…The post Ja Morant Fires Back at Stephen A. Smith’s Controversial Memphis Remark Amid Trade Rumors appeared first on EssentiallySports.