Stephen A. Smith Claims Some NBA Players Don’t Feel Safe In Memphis: They’ve Talked About It […] They’ve Told Me’

Stephen A. Smith Claims Some NBA Players Don’t Feel Safe In Memphis: They’ve Talked About It […] They’ve Told Me’

Stephen A. Smith says some NBA stars aren’t eager to play in Memphis due to concerns about crime.

During a recent episode of First Take, the sports analyst shared:

“[Memphis] is a great sports town, great fans, great people, but there’s an element there where cats like #JimmyButler and others don’t feel it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You gotta clean some of that stuff up because it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know, they’ve told me.”

 

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Grizzlies star Ja Morant made his stance clear on X, writing:

“Instead of focusing on the performances we seen from jdub/shai, tj/siakam, how this series is going. We say sumn negative about a city/team on a national level.”

Morant, who lives just outside Memphis in Shelby County, had his home burglarized last year. Still, city leaders insist progress is being made. After a record 398 homicides in 2023, officials say overall crime in Memphis is down 13% this year.

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