The Memphis Grizzlies have fallen on hard times so far during the 2025-26 NBA season, recently losing Ja Morant to another injury as trade rumors swirl around the franchise. The Grizzlies currently sit below the .500 mark on the season and would miss the postseason altogether if the season ended today.
Recently, injured Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum appeared on The Pivot podcast to discuss the pressures of playing in Boston, and he used the Grizzlies as an example of NBA ineptitude to get his point across.
“The career I have right now, if I had it with the Grizzlies, I would have a statue outside the arena,” said Tatum, per NBA Courtside on X, formerly Twitter.
While Tatum would certainly be on the short list of most accomplished Grizzlies, he also likely would not have anywhere near the postseason success he currently has if he had been drafted somewhere other than Boston, becoming a rare top-three pick to join a team that had been the number one seed in its conference the previous season.
Article Continues Below
Grizzlies fans might also have reservations about Tatum's comments considering his reputation as a playoff dropper, which continued last year with back to back meltdowns in Games 1 and 2 vs the New York Knicks before he suffered a devastating Achilles injury, from which he is still recovering.
Still, the comments only further solidify the Grizzlies' status as one of the symbols of NBA purgatory, a reputation they had hoped to shake with the dawn of the Morant era a few years ago. However, Morant's tenure in Memphis appears to be on its last legs, and now, the team is fielding trade offers for their star as the deadline nears on February 5.
In any case, the Grizzlies will next take the court on Wednesday evening for a home game against the suddenly competent Charlotte Hornets.