Ja Morant Mocks Former Memphis Teammate in His First Game vs. Grizzlies After Blazers Trade

Some post-trade games just feel like an ex-lovers' reunion, and Ja Morant probably felt it during the Portland Trail Blazers' latest 124-103 blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. But he made sure the revenge moments stayed hot, though. And Grizzlies’ second-year forward Cedric Coward was the one catching that heat.

NBA Central shared the moment on X, attaching the clip with a caption that read, “Ja Morant scores on Cedric Coward, points at him, and tells the crowd, 'He’s food.’”

This marked his first meeting with the Grizzlies since being traded on June 29, 2026, after spending 9 seasons with the franchise. But the cold space between the team and him was on full display as he didn’t even try to be subtle about pointing and calling Coward “food” following that second-quarter floater.

The teams entered a timeout after that, and Morant entered halftime with 12 points and 2 assists. The Blazers also did decent supporting, by screening for him during his scoring on Coward. But these are the moments that often fuel the other team’s drive.

The Grizzlies, who just finally dismantled their former core, starting with Desmond Bane in 2025 to the Orlando Magic, Jaren Jackson to the Utah Jazz in 2026, and finally Morant, showed what they were breeding underneath. A young roster centered around Cameron Boozer, Zach Edey, and Cedric Coward; all the starters dropped double digits.

Boozer had a triple-double of 18 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds. Coward added 17 points and 7 rebounds, and Edey had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Even Isaiah Stewart came off the bench to tie with Boozer, racking up 18 points. Both Quinten Post (10 PTS) and GG Jackson (12 PTS) showed grit as well.

Meanwhile, Morant was limited to 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. Though Deni Advija had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, it wasn’t enough to win the game. The Grizzlies outrebounded (54) the Blazers (45), forced Morant’s crew to have 16 Tos compared to their 10, and were better at overall playmaking (32 assists compared to the Blazers’ 23). They horribly limited the Blazers to just 24% shooting from beyond the arc.

But despite the smack Morant talked, it probably didn’t mean much off the court. The 27-year-old guard already mentioned that he’s still cool with some ex-teammates and, regardless of whatever happens on the court, it's still just another game.

“I’m not a big grudge guy or anything like that,” Morant said, wrote Memphis Grizzlies beat writer Damichael Cole. “I still talk to the guys that I’m pretty much cool with. Talked to them yesterday. It’s no different for me. Just another basketball game on the schedule for us, and we looking to stay undefeated.”

Though the “undefeated” part didn’t work out, as the Blazers are now 3-1, there’ll be plenty of games to reverse the outcome. For now, their priority will be the Jazz on October 31.