Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies knew he was going to get grilled by the press on Friday night.
After being eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, Morant had to answer for his past comments.
Earlier this season, Morant was asked which NBA teams in his conference concerned him.
He wasn’t afraid of any of them, confidently stating, “I’m fine in the West.”
After Friday’s major loss, Morant was asked about those comments and had a brief, to-the-point reply.
“I don’t mind. I don’t care. I said it,” Morant said.
He added, “I deal with it.”
Ja Morant on the “I’m fine in the west comments”:
"I don't mind. I don’t care. I said it. I deal with it."
(via @NBATV)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 29, 2023
He might be dealing with it for some time.
For the next few months, Morant will have to suffer the humiliation of fans all over the league poking fun at his comment and the subsequent way that he and his team lost.
However, he has a chance at redeeming himself next year.
To be fair, the Grizzlies are still one of the most promising teams in the West and they could definitely be championship contenders soon.
But his “fine in the West” comment is going to stick around for some time and people will bring it up often to mock him.
Morant has more to worry about aside from just this comment.
He scored only 10 points in Friday’s game and didn’t put up any challenge to the Lakers.
All in all, it was a rough night for many reasons and it’s going to sting for some time.
He is owning up to what he said and accepting that he will get ridiculed for it.
Now it is time to see if he is about to deliver on his words next season.
NEXT: Fans React To Dillon Brooks' Decision After Loss
