WATCH: Ja Morant throws down vicious dunk, Jayson Tatum reacts
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant finished one of the best dunks of the 2021-2022 season during Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. As the NBA world witnessed the incredible play, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum could not believe what he saw.
Ja Morant has made a name for himself with highlight dunks and blocks throughout the season on his way to winning the Most Improved Player award for the Memphis Grizzlies. Trying to lead a late comeback in a Game Five of a series tied 2-2, he provided an electric boost in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Jumping over Malik Beasley in the lane, Morant elevated high enough and far enough to dunk the ball through the contact. TNT’s Ian Eagle referred to the play as a “Ja breaker,” playing on the young star’s name.
Jayson Tatum was among the players to quickly respond to the highlight as it spread across the internet. He provided a one-word response, saying “damn.”
Charles Barkley continues war with Kevin Durant
Continuing the war of words between the NBA stars, Charles Barkley gave a heated response to the recent images posted by Kevin Durant about his career. Barkley opened the argument between the stars after stating that players who “ride the bus” and aren’t “bus drivers” aren’t the same type of champions in his eyes.
The criticism was levied at Durant as the Brooklyn Nets were swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Barkley stated that just because Durant had won two previous championships with the Golden State Warriors, it didn’t mean the same thing as it does now that he has less talent around him.
Durant took to his social media to strike back at Barkley, sharing pictures of Barkley standing alongside other Hall of Fame players during his time with the Houston Rockets. Durant’s response called out Barkley as a hypocrite for saying his championships with Golden State weren’t important.
After showing the images that Durant shared on social media, Barkley attempted to clarify his statements — while taking another shot back at Durant and his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Listen man, I could put up stuff about him and Russell [Westbrook] and James [Harden] and Serge Ibaka,” said Barkley. “I said ‘wait a minute,’ I said ‘no.’ Listen, KD is a great player. Only point I was making [is], life is different when you’re driving the bus.”