The press conferences held during NBA All-Star weekend led to LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant and more being asked some intriguing questions. First, LeBron James was asked about being able to play with his old Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving in the All-Star game. "It’s always good to see him. I’m very proud of him. Very proud of the man that he has become in his life right now,” Bron said gracefully. However, if you remember correctly, LeBron appeared to be hugely disappointed recently that his Lakers did not acquire Irving when he was on the trade block, instead letting the Dallas Mavericks snag him. Additionally, Jaylen Brown was in a more sour mood when speaking on how the All-Star game is no longer competitive. "It was just a glorified layup line," Brown called the game.
In contrast, though, both Pau Gasol and Brown's Boston teammate Jayson Tatum found ways to honor the late Kobe Bryant. After coaching up his Rising Stars team to a win on Friday (Feb. 17), Paul Gasol talked about his consideration for the Basketball Hall of Fame. He gave all the credit to Kobe. "My name, my number don’t go into those rafters without those championships," he said. "And we don’t win those championships without Kobe Bryant.” Similarly, Tatum honored Bryant after winning the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP. "Everybody knows how much [Kobe] meant to me," he said. "My favorite player, my idol. So it’s an honor to take this home.” With all these heavy quotes, though, other players like Ja Morant mostly were only asked softball questions.
Ja Morant's Tunes
When asked by a reporter what his three favorite artists to listen to before games are, Morant gave an exciting reply. "(NBA) Youngboy, (Lil) Baby, Moneybagg (Yo). And a little bit of that (Pooh) Shiesty brrrrr brrr brrrr." Mimicking Pooh Shiesty's famed ad-libs, it's clear that Morant had to throw in that fourth option in his response. Morant was raised in South Carolina and now lives in Memphis, TN. So, it's no surprise that every artist he named is from the South. Pooh Shiesty and Moneybagg Yo are both from Memphis, and Youngboy and Baby are from Louisiana and Georgia respectively. It's easy to see where Ja's heart lies.
Aside from light-hearted conversations with NBA reporters, Morant has had an otherwise bizarre and eventful start to 2023. January saw a bit of turbulence with him being hit with a lawsuit for fighting a minor in a pickup basketball game. Additionally, his father Tee Morant, and FOX Sports commentator Shannon Sharpe got into a scuffle at a Grizzles-Lakers basketball game. Then in February, Ja was implicated in a situation where his friends were accused of stalking and intimidating employees for the Indiana Pacers. However, this year has still seen him get a new Nike shoe deal and become an NBA All-Star for the second time. So, it seems that Ja is taking the good with the bad.