Klay Thompson teaches Ja Morant that no trash talk hits as hard as the truth

Here's what happened. Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies. End of game, Mavs down three. Klay Thompson launches a three from the logo, the kind of shot Steph still hits but Klay... not so much. Misses badly. Grizzlies win.

Ja Morant, wearing street clothes because he's injured, or beefing with the coach, or who knows, starts trash-talking Klay. Sticks his finger out at him. Without knowing what he said, I already kind of knew what he said. Something like, "You're old." "You're washed up." “Six seven.”

Sure enough, Ja told 4-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson, "You a bum now." And then, when Cam Spencer was giving a postgame interview, Morant continued chirping. "Tell 'em who the best shooter in the house was. It wasn't bro from Golden State."

A bum. A "bro" from Golden State. Talk about respecting your elders...

Klay's response? An absolute master class. Here's what the wise Millennial said in the locker room.

"Just running his mouth, and he's been running his mouth for a long time. It's funny to run your mouth when you're on the bench. It's kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more."

And then Klay delivered the knockout punch.

"We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he's just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that. We need our best players to be out there, and when you're a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste."

Ja's words were predictable. Klay's were precise. Ja was a nuisance. Klay was a neurosurgeon.

It reminded me of road rage incidents here in Chicago. When I see a car almost hit a cyclist, or people walking in the crosswalk, heads down, texting, or U-Hauls holding up traffic on a skinny side street, whenever someone's blood boils over in these situations, you can guess what's coming next. Eff you! Go eff yourself! You [Blank], [Blank], piece of [Blank].

And I've always wondered, "What's the point of that?" Does that barrage sting at all? Does anyone go home later that night, look themselves in the mirror, and go, "You know what, that guy was right. I am a piece of..."

To be fair, I'm not a good trash talker. Pretty sure I’d freeze up in a roast battle, and episodes of Veep give me anxiety. One time, when I was 25 or 26, we were visiting our alma mater over homecoming weekend. We stopped by the ol' fraternity, and some punk kid, I assume junior or senior, was getting on my nerves. I think he was making fun of me for being an English Creative Writing major, and of course, that means I'm in sales now, something like that, and I finally snapped. Didn't throw a punch. Didn't get in a good verbal jab. Nope. My big, tough-guy reply was, "Dude, I gotta hit unsubscribe."

As pathetic as my comeback was, it did something. Like a well-placed change-up in a world of 100-mph fastballs, it threw him off. And shut him up. I noticed his bravado came down. Seemed like he was in his head for the rest of the night. Of course, I felt guilty (and stupid) about it, but he was the one who ultimately apologized. I put my arm around the kid and said, "Eh, don’t worry about it. You're a good guy." And then we laughed about my spam email comeback.

My wife had a much better version of an off-speed pitch. One time, the bus was super crowded, and she was sitting there with our 2-year-old son, who was extra wiggly and doing that motorboat thing with his mouth, spit flying left and right, in a still-nervous, post-COVID world. The girl next to my wife was rolling her eyes, sighing, not so subtly scooting away — you know, confrontational Midwest behavior — and finally, Ashley said, "He's two. I'm doing my best. Try to have a little grace."

I watched the color drain from this girl's face. She didn't say anything back. She didn't look mad. Didn't look hurt or offended. She just stared off into the distance, like she was having a literal soul-searching moment; replaying her life, examining all of her memories. Do I lack grace? I don't know how my wife did it. It was equal parts impressive... and kind of terrifying.

Everything Klay Thompson said about Ja Morant was true. But he didn't say it as a call-out; it was a wake-up call. I hate to see that go to waste. Klay has nothing left to prove in the NBA and doesn't need to add anything to his legacy. He's also wise enough to know that Ja's success or failure has no direct impact on Klay or Klay's career. And yet, he recognizes Ja's talent, knows he can be a major star, and understands the responsibility and potential joy that come with that opportunity. I believe he genuinely doesn't want Ja to let that all slip away.

Maybe the biggest put-down of all is when you're not trying to put the person down, but ultimately trying to lift them up. Best case, the words spark a fire and ignite a major comeback. Worst case, the words haunt him forever and he'll know, deep down, that Klay was right.

The Perfect Movie Script For What Happens Next

I think there's an All-Star Break reality where Klay and Ja are both traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. The interaction between the two new teammates would be a lot like the Brad Pitt/Damson Idris dynamic from the F1 movie. Even more heated.

But something happens, maybe an injury scare where Klay's the first one at the hospital. Or maybe Klay takes Ja to an outdoor pickup basketball game. They witness an absolute powerhouse player. Klay, looking off in the distance, gives a little speech like:

"You wanna talk Splash Brothers? That guy right there, he could shoot me or Steph out of a gym. Never misses. Wind could be blowing, 40 miles an hour. Double rims. Crap backboard. It don't matter. Guy could jump out the gym, too. Just like you, kid. Actually, reminds me of you. (looks off in the distance, smiles) You say I'm a bum. Maybe. Maybe I am washed up. But I'm still on an NBA court. And that aint easy. Trust me. It goes fast, kid. Don't let it go by even faster."

And then they rally. Going on a run to win the championship is too much of a stretch, even for Hollywood. They're not beating the Oklahoma City Thunder. But it could become a race to win enough games so they don't end up handing over their Top 5 pick to OKC. The Clippers pull it off. Klay retires. And Ja Morant is the new megastar in Los Angeles.

... until he signs an offseason deal with Aspiration.

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