"Be quiet and cheer on" - Chandler Parsons thinks injured Ja Morant had no right to trash-talk Klay Thompson

Chandler Parsons sided with Klay Thompson regarding the latter's beef with Ja Morant after Sunday's game between the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.

Thompson and Morant got into a heated exchange after the Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks 102-96, and both had choice words for each other during their verbal exchange. According to Parsons, incidents like that aren't the ones that he would love to see the Grizzlies guard getting involved in, especially given everything he is already dealing with.

"I hate that we're talking about Ja Morant and a negative headline, and somehow he fu–ed himself against something other than basketball, other than him being spectacular on the court, dunking on somebody, catching a lob, winning a game-winner. Like, why are we always talking about Ja Morant something outside of basketball or anything positive?" Parsons said.

Morant's priority shift

Parsons understands why the two were heated towards each other. After all, Thompson and the Grizzlies have history from his Golden State days.

Remember when Thompson counted one to four with his fingers repeatedly at Dillon Brooks? Parsons says it could be that the beef is merely spilling over.

Still, with Morant recovering from an injury and reportedly not on the same page with his head coach, Parsons believes his focus should be on getting healthy and returning to the court, rather than trying to make headlines for the wrong reasons.

After all, Morant didn't suit up for Sunday's game — another reason, the retired forward says, he should've just backed his teammates from the sidelines instead of getting caught up in a confrontation.

"If you're not on the floor backing it up, if you're in a team jump suit, be quiet and cheer on your team," said Parsons. "Klay Thompson, he's the best. He's the greatest dude. He comes, he stays in his lane. Like you're picking the battle with the wrong guy." 

Morant should've asked for advice

Eddie Johnson also thought that instead of trying to pick a fight with Thompson, Morant should have reached out to the veteran guard and asked for help. Johnson noted that when he was coming up in the league, he never talked trash to legends like Julius Erving — he showed them nothing but respect.

"Ja should be getting advice from Klay on how to carry himself instead of ticking him off.  I couldn't imagine ever yapping at Dr J when I entered the league. I was in awe and asked questions,"wrote Johnson on "X".

Like Parsons, Johnson took exception to Morant being in street clothes and trash-talking the opposition. He even referenced the Erving-Larry Bird fight during the 80s, but added that both were playing in that game and that they ended up in a brawl in the heat of the moment.

Meanwhile, Ja was in street clothes on Sunday, and he should have left the trash talk and fighting to the guys who played.

Related: "He 'bout to f–k his career up" - Aries Spears fears Ja Morant is becoming his own worst enemy just like Sebastian Telfair

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.