The Memphis Grizzlies have unexpectedly been removed from ESPN’s national TV broadcast, taking away one of the few precious nationally televised games for one of the NBA’s biggest surprise teams of the 2021-22 season.
Without any explanation, reports began to surface before the Denver Nuggets game Jan. 21 that ESPN had decided to “flex out” of the scheduled broadcast of Memphis vs San Antonio on Jan. 26.
The “world wide leader” in sports decided to replace it with a game against the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat instead.
The Grizzlies initially were promised seven nationally televised games at the start of the season, but will now end up with just six games being beamed into the homes of millions of homes around the country.
Memphis Grizzlies disrespected by ESPN for taking away national tv game
The Grizzlies not being on national TV more often is already a travesty. The team boasts one of the most (if not the most) exciting and electrifying talents in the Association in Ja Morant.
The third-year player looks to be a lock to start in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game and has been garnering MVP talk from experts and peers alike.
Just ask Draymond Green what he thinks of Morant. The Golden State Warriors star dedicated a minutes-long diatribe about Morant on a recent episode of his podcast.
Also, Morant has just been revealed as having one of the most popular jerseys in the NBA. His No. 12 Memphis Grizzlies jersey is one of the top-selling jerseys from the first-half of the 2021-22 NBA season.
The fans love Morant, NBA players love Morant, why doesn’t ESPN love Morant?
Here’s to hoping ESPN finds a way to make-up for taking away one of these games. Maybe they’ll find a way to put one of the late-season April game against a playoff-caliber team such as Phoenix, Utah or Denver on ESPN.
But, don’t hold your breath for that to happen. The national media have slept on these Grizzlies year after year and the team continues to make them regret it.
The Grizzlies vs Spurs was originally set to tip-off Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. It can now be viewed only regionally on Bally Sports Southwest or with a league-pass subscription for those outside the Memphis media market.