Richard Jefferson Calls Out ‘Cowardice’ of Memphis Grizzlies Refusing to Speak to Media After Consecutive Playoff Losses

Over the last few NBA seasons, the Memphis Grizzlies have established themselves as a group of young, talented players unafraid of talking trash and backing it up.

Now, after two straight playoff losses to the Los Angeles Lakers – amplified by direct shots Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks took at LeBron James – that same group of outspoken, hyper-competitive guys has gone silent. For the second straight game, Brooks refused to speak to the media after the game. Star guard Ja Morant also declined to speak to the media. With the loss, the Grizzlies fell to 1-3 in the series, just one loss away from an early playoff exit.

Former player Richard Jefferson found their silence unacceptable.

“You can’t talk the talk and then not walk the walk,” Jefferson said on Tuesday’s episode of NBA Today on ESPN. “It’s OK to make a mistake. It’s OK to have a bad game and then go face it. Because when you win, everybody wants to talk when they win. They are sprinting to the podium. Everybody’s up there. When you struggle, that’s really where you show your true character.”

As explained by The Sporting News, the beef between the Lakers and Grizzlies goes back to January 2021 when James made a “too small” gesture to Brooks after scoring on him during a game. A year later, tensions flared when Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane got into a verbal exchange with James. That tension reached a new level during the 2023 playoffs, when Brooks called James “old” and implied he wasn’t a challenge to defend. The Lakers responded with back-to-back wins to take a commanding 3-1 lead.

“If you’re not going to talk to the media after two straight games, that – to me- is cowardice,” Jefferson said. “And I don’t believe either of them are cowards. I’m not saying that. I’m saying to avoid that smoke after talking the talk… You can’t avoid the media.

“Stand there, say, ‘We gotta play better.’ But to have both stars, both guys – especially Dillon Brooks – (not speak to the media), that’s unacceptable.”

Watch above via ESPN

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