{"id":106190,"date":"2025-06-18T02:13:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T02:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/106190\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T02:13:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T02:13:09","slug":"stephen-a-smith-claims-nba-players-fear-playing-in-memphis-due-to-safety-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/106190\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith Claims NBA Players Fear Playing In Memphis Due To Safety Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephen A. Smith Claims NBA Players Fear Playing In Memphis Due To Safety Concerns<\/a> originally appeared on Fadeaway World<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a stunning revelation on ESPN\u2019s First Take<\/a>, Stephen A. Smith<\/a> claimed that NBA players around the league are actively wary of playing in Memphis, not because of basketball reasons, but due to concerns about personal safety.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe people in Memphis is a great sports town, great fans, great people. But there\u2019s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don\u2019t feel it\u2019s the safest environment.”<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You got to clean some of that stuff up because it\u2019s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know they\u2019ve told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Smith\u2019s comments sparked immediate\u00a0debate, they reflect a growing undercurrent of discomfort some stars reportedly feel about playing in the city.<\/p>\n

His remarks couldn\u2019t have come at a more tumultuous time for the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, who just traded away cornerstone guard Desmond Bane<\/a> and appear to be flirting with a full-scale rebuild.<\/p>\n

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The Bane trade sent shockwaves through the NBA, not only because of the return package of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, and a handful of draft picks, but also because it signaled a departure from the franchise\u2019s win-now mindset.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Brian Windhorst noted that this wasn\u2019t about fit or short-term upgrades; this was the first step toward a pivot in direction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If Smith\u2019s claims about player concerns regarding safety are true, it only amplifies the challenges Memphis faces in building a winning culture. Ja Morant<\/a>, already under the microscope for multiple off-court incidents, was reportedly frustrated with his usage last season<\/a> and clashed with the coaching staff before Taylor Jenkins was fired<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/a>, meanwhile, just lost out on a supermax extension after missing All-NBA honors<\/a>, something sources say he didn\u2019t take lightly.<\/p>\n

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With the Grizzlies now pivoting toward flexibility and draft capital, trade chatter around Morant and Jackson Jr. is heating up. The Miami Heat<\/a>, having moved on from Jimmy Butler<\/a>, are said to be intrigued by Morant\u2019s fit in South Beach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> could become serious players if they choose to pair Morant with Anthony Edwards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And Jackson? The Lakers are reportedly monitoring his situation closely<\/a>. They\u2019ve long sought a stretch-five with defensive chops, and Jackson would fit the bill.<\/p>\n

But beyond basketball, Smith\u2019s comments bring up a serious and uncomfortable question: could the city\u2019s reputation, fair or not, become a long-term deterrent for free agents and stars?<\/p>\n

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If players around the league are indeed discussing Memphis as a \u201crisky\u201d destination, it puts the Grizzlies in a difficult position. They\u2019ll not only have to sell players on their rebuild but also on the city itself.<\/p>\n

At a time when nearly every other Western Conference team is pushing the pedal to the floor, Memphis might be facing challenges that go far beyond the hardwood.<\/p>\n

Related: Crazy Trade Idea: Grizzlies Land Joel Embiid For Massive Package That Daryl Morey Would Accept<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World<\/a> on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith Claims NBA Players Fear Playing In Memphis Due To Safety Concerns originally appeared on Fadeaway…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3795],"tags":[375,7,2949,406,497,294,178,6684,313,865,300,293,177,4070,189,152,6,2603],"class_list":{"0":"post-106190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-memphis-grizzlies","8":"tag-anthony-edwards","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-brian-windhorst","11":"tag-cole-anthony","12":"tag-desmond-bane","13":"tag-grizzlies","14":"tag-ja-morant","15":"tag-jaren-jackson","16":"tag-jimmy-butler","17":"tag-kentavious-caldwell-pope","18":"tag-lakers","19":"tag-memphis","20":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","21":"tag-memphisgrizzlies","22":"tag-miami-heat","23":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","24":"tag-nba","25":"tag-stephen-a-smith"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114701952946282105","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}