The Memphis Grizzlies’ game Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder was stopped late in the fourth quarter after an official signaled for security to escort a fan out of the stands.
That fan turned out to be Tee Morant, the father of Grizzlies star Ja Morant. Tee Morant was escorted out and asked to leave the game at FedExForum.
After the Grizzlies’ 125-112 loss, Ja Morant wasn’t sure why his father got ejected, but he had an idea.
‘He probably got kicked out so I didn’t,’ he said. ‘He probably was complaining about something to the ref.’
Ja Morant’s assessment wasn’t far off. In a pool report conducted by The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill, NBA crew chief official Josh Tiven made it clear that he asked for Tee Morant to be ejected.
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‘The fan continued to repeat overtly disrespectful statements about the integrity of the officiating crew, so as the Crew Chief I approached security and asked that he be removed,’ Tiven said.
Ja Morant finished the game with 16 points on 6-for-19 shooting. He signaled to referees, calling for a foul, after several driving attempts during the game, but he finished with four attempted free throws, making two.
While that wasn’t the reason Memphis lost, it sheds light on why Morant believes his father was ejected.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.