There’s been growing discourse in recent weeks over the Memphis Grizzlies and whether the team should flat-out leave the city. Lending his voice to the conversation is LeBron James, who made it clear that he has no love for the West Tennessee city.
During a recent golf outing with the Bob Does Sports YouTube channel, LeBron was asked if he’d consider playing for the Grizzlies in the twilight of his NBA career. But the four-time NBA champion dismissed the idea, declaring that he has no interest in playing in Memphis year-round.
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“I’m (expletive) 41 years of age. You think I want to do (expletive) in Memphis on a random Thursday? I’m not the first guy in the NBA to talk about this. You guys got to move the team… go over to Nashville already.”
LeBron joked that the only way he ever would have played in Memphis is if he had been drafted by them in 2003. Though even then, he joked that he might have simply refused to play rather than play for the Grizzlies.
A sign of things to come?
Memphis fans and citizens were understandably furious that LeBron would say such terrible things about their city and team, but others believe that if LeBron is saying something like that out loud, it could be a sign that the league also believes something similar.
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“It’s one of the worst kept secrets in the league paying close attention. Windhorst and Aldridge have quietly been hinting at it for months,” one user remarked on X.
“Can confirm. Went to Jazz Grizzlies game in 2021. Not a city you want to be in — ever. How they have a franchise is mind boggling,” wrote another.
“If you’ve ever been to Memphis you’d understand,” a third wrote.
Feb 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts on the court after a three-point basket in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.
(© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.)
But Memphis doesn’t seem to be moving anytime soon. As much as people like to clown on the city, Memphis already has the infrastructure for a basketball team in place and they can’t force the owners to move just because they want to.
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Ultimately, it’s a bit of a moot argument.
For now.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.