It’s going to be a cold summer for the Golden State Warriors as they are feeling all the energy that champions usually get: hate. Recently, the emotions have flared from the press room to the social media channels, and now there is an all-out star war between Klay Thompson and Draymond Green from the Warriors and Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies.
It all began with Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, who tweeted a veiled antagonistic shot at the Warriors after the Grizzlies beat the Warriors back in March.
“Strength in numbers,” the tweet said.
The Warriors’ former team slogan, Strength in Numbers, “depicts the organization’s overall philosophy of inclusion, for the greater good, to help achieve its goals,” according to the team. Or at least it did when that was still the team slogan, as the motto has changed multiple times since that one was used.
When The Strong Thrive
The Warriors feel like the philosophy has helped them build a championship culture. For Jackson, it was a shot too good not to take.
However, Klay Thompson did not forget.
“Strength in numbers is alive and well,” Thompson said during the post-championship win press conference. “There was this one player on the Grizzlies who tweeted ‘strength in numbers after they beat us in the regular season, and it pissed me so much. I can’t wait to retweet that thing. Freakin’ bum. I had to watch that; I was like, ‘this freaking clown.’
“You’re gonna mock us? Like, you ain’t never been there before, bruh. We’ve been there. We know what it takes. So, to be here again, hold that. Twitter fingers, can you believe it?”
Enter Ja Morant, who heard Klay loud and clear and came to add his two cents into the newfound beef.
Grizzlies Twitter Fingers
Morant took to Twitter to respond to Thompson’s tweet by saying, “got a lot of real estate,” letting Thompson and the Warriors know that he feels he’s living in their heads rent-free.
We traded that real estate in @JaMorant the property value was higher in Boston https://t.co/X7Du6zSiZF
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) June 19, 2022
However, the always-game Draymond Green jumped into the mess to deliver his brand of agitation right back to Morant.
“We traded that real estate in Ja Morant the property value was higher in Boston,” Green tweeted. Ouch! A jab at the Warriors’ 4-2 defeat of the Grizzlies in the playoffs on May 13th.
However, when an online fan proposed that the Warriors and Grizzlies play against each other on Christmas, Morant agreed, but if it was in Memphis. That’s when Green bossed up on his younger competitor, reminding him that the Warriors are champs and have the hosting privilege.
im coming to you then. tell em book dat shit . im on yo block https://t.co/fuJu2jPOwd
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 19, 2022
“The champs play at home Young! Christmas Day”
Morant was not one to shy from the challenge.
“I’m coming to you then. Tell em book dat s—t I’m on yo block,” Morant responded.
Petty Boy Summer
The Warriors have engaged in an early summer of petty, with most of it coming at them first from various angles. A Boston restaurant took shots at Riley Curry and proclaimed that Ayesha Curry Can’t Cook, prompting the Currys to duplicate it into an affirmational T-shirt line.
Then there is Draymond Green, who validated his new media outlook and postgame podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” with a championship win and self-made bully pulpit.
The champions petty boy summer has started early.
