NBA player and ESPN analyst Marcus Morris appeared on ‘First Take’ on Tuesday and tried to be a little too Gen Z with his sports commentary when he made a slang reference that has negative connotations and is used by the younger generation as a description for wild, out of control young Black men.
When previewing the play-in game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, Morris said:
“I think it will be a really tough game. I really like the Grizzlies the YNs, they’re really coming to play, right?
"I really like the Grizzlies. The YNs, they're really coming to play." 😅
The generational, racial and cultural gap on social media was in full view in response to Morris’ take. It probably went over most people’s heads as it’s a term rarely used by anyone over the age of 25. It was a failed attempt at being cool.
Social Media Reacts To Marcus Morris Use Of Term “YNs” On First Take
“The yts won’t know what YNs means,” said one fan.
Another fan suggested Morris was put up to it by corporate.
“What the heck? Do you think this dude came up with using that slang on his own – or did ABC/ESPN tell him to use that slang?”
Joked another fan, “Stephen a. Smith did not look impressed. A hot mic over heard him saying, “Don’t that man know I’m trying to run for President?”
“Wow I haven’t watched ESPN in 20 years. It’s really hit rock bottom,” said one netizen.
Most of the viewers on ESPN had no clue what Morris was even referencing. They only know now because it’s being reported on.
“I didn’t even know what “YN’s” Meant – Never heard it spoken…Embarrassing. Why would Stephen and that girl (who smirked) not stop him and say anything?? Terrible,” said a disappointed “First Take” fan.
Said one fan who is down on debate shows and the way the content has changed: “After they let Shannon bring a Black n Mild, Hennessey and a stocking cap on TV I knew it was downhill from there…Nothing good was coming after that,” said one fan referring to Shannon’s former show on FS1 with Skip Bayless, “Undisputed.”
Jason Whitlock Attacks Marcus Morris and ESPN
“This is the direction of legacy of sports media,” said one well known sports talking head on his social media platform @WhitlockJason. “The conversation has been completely rapafied.
YNs = Young N–as.
The inevitable dumbing down and ghettoing of all conversations.”
Old Heads Defeat YNs In Play-In Game, Secure 8th Seed In Western Conference
Despite Morris’ support of the YNs, the old heads actually got the job done in the play-in game on Tuesday night as Jimmy Buckets and Chef Curry flamed Ja Morant and company with 75 combined points in a 121-116 Golden State Warriors win.
Ja Morant (22 points) and Desmond Bane (30 points) paced Memphis respectively, but the young energy that Morris praised couldn’t overcome the savvy and playoff experience of two of the greatest clutch performers of this era.
Draymond Green predicted that the Golden State Warriors would win the NBA Championship a few months ago. Plenty of people laughed and even scoffed at his bold prediction. The four-time NBA champion said that there’s not a team that Golden State fears, and the addition of Jimmy Butler, who elevates from all-star to superstar during playoff runs is a main reason why Golden State is so confident.
13-year NBA veteran Quentin Richardson appeared on “The Pat McAfee” show to discuss how seriously the league needs to take Golden State at this point. He doesn’t think Green’s proclamation is farfetched.
“I think you got to pay attention when somebody like Draymond says he saw the change. When we talked to him during the all-star break, he said he felt like they could be a championship team. He’s done it four times before so yo[ve got to put value in that and take him at his word. When you know what Jimmy Butler is…playoff Jimmy gives you a prime display of what he can do for the team (37/7/6 with three steals), and we all know who Stephen Curry is. Those three guys right there, they can…carry the team a long way in these playoffs.”
The YNs are not done. Machine Gun Ja and crew will head home to host the winner of the Mavericks-Kings matchup on Wednesday night in Sacramento to determine the eighth playoff spot. Maybe the YNs will ride again but Morris definitely needs to think of some other material because the cat is out the bag, and the word has hit the mainstream.
