Ja Morant was ejected from the game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. With the game minutes to go and with the count in favor of the Timberwolves, Morant was perhaps frustrated. But the Grizzlies star wasn’t the first to be ejected.
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It was in fact his teammate Dillion Brooks who was ejected first. He accumulated the fouls and awarded a free throw to Anthony Edwards. But it appeared there had been an exchange of words between the referee and the player, and Brooks’ time ended soon after.
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After that, Ja Morant was seen talking to the referee. While it’s unclear what he said to prompt him to get kicked out, it was clear that was game over for Morant. He scored 24 points with 6 assists from the field. Brooks finished the night with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Fans commented on social media about the “circus show” put on by the Memphis Grizzlies. Two players from the team were ejected within seconds and NBA fans had a lot to say about the incident online.
Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:
It’s surprising how many games the Grizzlies won last season with the immaturity of Ja Morant and other players on that team. Two players get ejected in the last minutes of a game just for talking, it’s not something that happens often.
– Reverse Jinx (@Giavotella_170) December 1, 2022
ANTHONY EDWARDS GOT JA MORANT AND DILLION BROOKS EJECTED LMAOOOOOO
— 7-1〽️🦃 (@MinnesotaSZN) December 1, 2022
Dillon Brooks was also ejected in other games. Last year he charged at the referees, screaming and visibly frustrated with their decisions. This year, even Steve Kerr expressed his thoughts on another of Brooks’ ejections. “It wasn’t physical, it was dirty,Kerr said after Brooks fouled Golden State Warriors player Gary Payton II.
Ja Morant asserts herself on the court
Morant, on the other hand, exposed the whole Ja Morant experience to fans.
He achieves a phenomenal vertical leap after a alley-oop to play. Morant motioned for Brooks to pass the ball to him. Morant picked it up and jumped with insane calculation, dunking the ball and leaving fans and commentators stunned by his leap.
Notably, the average vertical leap the NBA world has witnessed is 28 inches. Morant’s jump, however, is 44 inches. His jump has been associated as high as Michael Jordan.
Morant is currently only in his 4th NBA season and he has won many accolades so far, including being NBA Rookie of the Year.
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Ja Morant, even though he was sent off, still punched Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards as he left the court which caught the attention of many internet users.
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Watch this story: Most scoring games by a player in Grizzlies history after Ja Morant’s epic 49-point performance
The Minnesota Timberwolves ultimately won the game 109-101. The Timberwolves are now 11-11 for the season so far, while Morant’s Grizzlies are 12-9 and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference table.