The second game in TNT’s Thursday night NBA doubleheader showcased the Houston Rockets facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite being shorthanded, this news caught Shaquille O’Neal off guard on Inside the NBA, particularly when he expressed anticipation for the Ja Morant-Jalen Green matchup, only to discover that Morant was unavailable.
“Well, Ja Morant’s out tonight,” host Ernie Johnson informed him. To which O’Neal responded humorously, “OK, so Ja Morant’s out. So forget that,” prompting laughter from the rest of the desk.
“I’m looking forward to the Ja Morant-Jalen Green matchup.” – Shaq, ahead of the TNT broadcast of Rockets-Grizzlies
“Well, Ja Morant’s out tonight.” – Ernie Johnson
“Okay, so Ja Morant’s out. So forget that…” – Shaq 🏀🎙️😂#NBA pic.twitter.com/LuYoQDb23g
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 31, 2025
Morant has missed 20 games this season, although he participated in the team’s last two games. Earlier on Thursday, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reported that Morant “took a bump in practice yesterday and flagged the soreness this morning.” Despite this, his status remained questionable for a significant part of the day before being downgraded to doubtful just hours prior to the game. While it was a lighthearted moment, we can give Shaq some leeway; we’ve certainly witnessed worse mistakes — significantly worse errors — in the past.
