Miami Heat Forward Reportedly Forced to Apologize for Trashing Klay Thompson Just Days After Ja Morant Confrontation

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn
NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn

This past weekend, Klay Thompson had a viral moment with Ja Morant when the two veterans engaged in smack talk after the Memphis Grizzlies' 102-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Two days after that, Thompson had a verbal altercation with a young player, who was later seemingly made to apologize to the four-time NBA champion.

Ad

Late in the third quarter, Heat forward Myron Gardner allegedly called Thompson "trash" as the Mavs guard played defense. In the final frame, Thompson hit a corner three right in front of the Heat bench and chirped back at Gardner, resulting in technical fouls being whistled on both players.

The entire situation did not sit well with Heat assistant coach Caron Butler, who decided to teach Gardner (a player on a two-way contract with Miami) a lesson.

Ad
Ad

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

After the Heat fended off the Mavericks to secure the 106-102 victory, cameras caught Butler taking Gardner to the tunnel just as Thompson was heading to the locker room. As seen in the footage, Butler stands between the two players as they shake hands and engage in a conversation. From the looks of it, Gardner was delivering an apology to the five-time All-Star.

Butler, who played 14 seasons in the NBA before transitioning to coaching, was clearly trying to instill the right culture among his young players. After all, Gardner was a Midwest high school prospect when Thompson was winning his first NBA championship. To Thompson's credit, he made time for the young man and appeared to accept the apology.

Ad

"It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench": Klay Thompson fires back at Ja Morant following post-game confrontation

While Klay Thompson appears to have settled things amicably with Gardner, the same cannot be said about his situation with Morant. After their post-game confrontation on Saturday, in which Morant allegedly called Thompson a "bum," the Mavs guard continued to take shots at Morant in the media availability.

Ad
"He’s been running his mouth for a long time, and it’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench," Thompson told reporters. "It’s kinda the story of his career so far."

Klay Thompson added that Morant was not fulfilling his "great responsibility" as a star by getting caught up in situations that had nothing to do with basketball.

Miami Heat Nation! You can check out the latest Miami Heat Schedule and dive into the Heat Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.

Quick Links

Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications