Home

WWE

Why Did Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Diss Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant on SmackDown? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Published 03/15/2024, 10:05 PM EDT

Follow Us

The Rock just did some crazy stuff at ringside tonight. Although he started with a comparatively mellow approach to the city that witnessed the kick-start of his career, later on, he turned a fireball that spread beyond the Cody Rhodes clan and ended up burning the NBA superstar JA Morant. But what is the story behind it? If you miss that little funny detail or even wonder where that small jibe at the 24-year-old stems from, you’re in the right place.

Why The Rock made a monkey of the young NBA superstar JA Morant? Explained

FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, burst in with excitement as the blue brand reappears with another banger Friday extravaganza, and so we are. The March 15 episode was slated to bring some extra ‘The Rock’ effect to the air as he goes back to the nostalgic Minnesota after ages. While the much-awaited The Rock segment exceeded expectations with The Brahma Bull terribly and hilariously taking digs at Cody Rhodes and his associates (including the fans) through a musical parody, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant caught strays out of nowhere. The Rock and his musicians sang about the tragic fate of Cody Rhodes in the WrestleMania 40. And one of those bomb lines of insult sounded like, You’re simply an embarrassment son, just like the JA Morant when he’s waving a gun. To connect the dot to this apparent odd reference, we need to look back to a few months old incident that saw the Memphis Grizzlies star draw a suspension for 25 games by the NBA for brandishing a gun in a social media video. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, not being aware of the imminent dig, the NBA superstar extended an open invitation to Dwayne Johnson to attend a playoff game in Memphis in the past.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest WWE stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

JA Morant seemed interested in facing The Rock in a basketball playoff

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

It seems The Rock has his connections everywhere and everybody is out there to get a piece of him in some way or the other. As Memphis holds a familiarity with both WWE and Basketball, it once stirred the idea of a potential crossover. In response to that, Morant rendered a confident approach to The Great One via Twitter. When a fan demanded a meetup between Morant and The Rock, the former retweeted it with the caption, ‘Yeah pull up’

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What’s your take on the backstory of The Rock’s abrupt dig on the NBA superstar JA Morant on SmackDown tonight? Let us know in the comments.

Cody Rhodes’ Subtle Dig at Dwayne Johnson Turns Fans Against The Rock: “He’s 50+, We Don’t Need Him”

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Shreya Nag

1,286Articles

One take at a time

Shreya Nag is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. As a journalism major, Shreya has worked as both a writer and a news moderator. With over a thousand articles to her name at ES, she has developed a strong hand for the art of wrestling journalism.
Show More>

Edited by:

Amal Joyce