Tuesday night, the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs squared off in a highly competitive interdivisional affair. While the two have already faced one another this season, this latest bout marked the first time superstar Ja Morant and rising star Victor Wembanyama have been able to go up against one another which, naturally, drew in spectators of all kinds.
Considering his virtually unmatched brand of athleticism and propensity to put a defender on the lesser end of a highlight reel jam, all game long viewers both at home and in attendance at FedEx Forum were seemingly champing at the bit waiting to see the Grizzlies star give the 7-foot-4 rookie phenom a true "welcome to the NBA" moment.
Though his first attempt to do so during the initial period of play resulted in a block for Wembanyama (his first of four on the night), Morant was finally able to give the fans what they wanted in the early stages of the fourth when he pulled out his famous cross jab dribble drive that, ultimately, ended in an emphatic slam over the 19-year-old.
left right lemme see you do it @JaMorant pic.twitter.com/GEcAsxF5dm
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 3, 2024
Grizzlies star Ja Morant unimpressed by poster on Victor Wembanyama
Despite what the joyous reactions from the crowd and commentators might have indicated, when discussing the dunk on Wembanyama Morant seemed to be unimpressed with how things transpired, and even downplayed the overall magnitude of his finish at the rim during a postgame presser.
"I feel like that's your first little high school dunk right there. Just put the ball over the rim, hang on the rim. My pops called that a hard layup. I'll take it, though. That's what everybody wanted. That's my late Christmas gift, Happy New Year gift."Ja Morant
Despite his uninspired reaction to this particular play, Morant's performance as a whole against the Spurs was quite impressive, as he paved the way in the scoring department by dropped 26 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the field while adding on 10 assists, 5 boards, and a steal in 35 minutes of action.
Behind his heroics, the Grizzlies managed to secure a 2-0 edge in their season-series against San Antonio while simultaneously snapping a three-game losing streak.