Stephen A. Smith claims NBA players don’t feel safe in Memphis

If the Grizzlies are going to recruit NBA stars to Memphis, Stephen A. Smith believes local police have to do better.

Tuesday morning on ESPN’s First Take, Smith was joined by Marcus and Markieff Morris during a discussion about whether the Grizzlies sending Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic means they should similarly move on from Ja Morant.

During the segment, Smith discussed NBA players being reluctant to play in Memphis and challenged the Morris twins to tell the audience why that’s the case.

“You gonna tell folks why nobody wants to be in Memphis? Or you want me to do it?”
“Cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis.” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/qD9UjV5ZV4

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 17, 2025

“You going to tell folks why nobody wants to be in Memphis?” Smith asked. “Or you want me to do it?”

Marcus Morris quickly said he would have had no issue playing in Memphis, while his brother requested to hear Smith’s reason for believing NBA players aren’t interested in the city.

“It’s a great sports town, great fans, great people,” Smith began as a way of lessening the blow before telling Memphis how NBA players allegedly really feel about the city. “But there’s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis.

“You gotta clean some of that stuff up because it’s dissuasive to NBA players,” Smith told the two NBA players. “They have talked about it. I know, they’ve told me.”

ESPN’s Marc Spears reported Butler told the Miami Heat he was willing to play anywhere but Memphis prior to being traded to the Golden State Warriors. The Athletic’s Sam Amick similarly reported Butler did not want to play in Memphis. Butler was asked about the report after he was traded to Golden State, and he didn’t really confirm or deny it, the six-time NBA All-Star only claimed nobody knows because he doesn’t talk to the media.

Memphis and Miami are very different cities. Maybe Smith is right about the situation, but he didn’t elaborate further as to what exactly the issue in Memphis is. It bears watching, though, as the Grizzlies may not be done yet in reshaping their roster.