Anthony Edwards, Draymond Green
Anthony Edwards never filters his thoughts, and his latest comment about Memphis quickly sparked conversation around the league.
During an appearance on Sundae Conversation, Edwards fielded a lighthearted question about hotel stays on the road, Fadeaway World reports. The Minnesota Timberwolves star did not keep it light for long.
“Yeah, especially when we go to Memphis,” Edwards said. “I’d be like, damn, the hotels ain’t nothing in Memphis. That sh-t be dirty. I walked into a Memphis hotel one time and it had stains and sh-t on the bed.” El oh El.
The remark spread fast across social media. Edwards has built a reputation for blunt honesty, and this one landed squarely on Memphis.
Yet on the court, Edwards has thrived against the Grizzlies. In 20 career games versus Memphis, he has averaged 25.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 50.9 percent from the field. He helped lead Minnesota past Memphis in the 2022 playoffs, winning the series in six games as a No. 7 seed over the No. 2 Grizzlies.
This season, Edwards owns a 2-1 mark against Memphis. In two road games there, he poured in 33 and 39 points. The teams meet again April 2 in Minnesota.
Draymond Green Shares Warriors’ Experience
Edwards was not alone in his assessment. Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green addressed the topic on The Draymond Green Show.
“[Anthony Edwards] is pretty blunt about it, but yeah,” Green said. “We had an issue there where we used to stay at one hotel in Memphis, and this dates back. We stopped staying there because their sprinklers just went off for no reason in the room. Drenched all of [Andrew] Bogut’s stuff, and they didn’t want to do anything about it. So, we switched hotels then, right? So, it’s been an issue.”
Green’s story added context rather than piling on. He pointed to a specific incident involving former Warriors center Andrew Bogut, explaining that the team ultimately changed hotels after the sprinkler mishap.
Memphis Has Faced Criticism Before
This is not the first time Memphis has drawn criticism from a high-profile NBA voice. Last year, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith questioned whether top free agents feel comfortable choosing the Grizzlies because of safety concerns, Yahoo reports.
“It’s a great sports town, great fans, great people,” Smith said. “But there’s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You’ve got to clean some of that stuff up because it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They’ve told me.”
Smith’s comments centered on safety, not hospitality. Edwards focused specifically on his personal hotel experience. Public rankings of the dirtiest hotels in the United States do not consistently list Memphis among the worst, suggesting Edwards described an isolated incident.
Still, when two All-Stars and a national media figure reference similar frustrations, the comments resonate. Memphis now finds itself in another spotlight moment, sparked not by a playoff series, but by a hotel stay that clearly left an impression.