A Strong Media Statement, "Memphis Style"

As a comms pro, I love to read media statements from corporate and organizational leaders when they are in the news – ?the good, the bad and everything in between. It can say a lot about the leader – and the type of culture they foster in the organization. Being a Memphian, we take our basketball seriously. The basketball history and knowledge in this city runs deep and we take our basketball and the team’s performance on and off the court personally. It may not always be a fairytale ending here in the Bluff City, but win or lose, we ride with our team, both the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and the NCAA's Memphis Tigers.

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With all the trade shockers happening as of late in the NBA, the topic seemingly came up int the last day or so about the Grizzlies trading All-Star (and sometimes "news topic of the day" for non-basketball-related activity) Ja Morant --or at least NBA execs are “keeping an eye” on that possibility. It was likely just news talk fodder and filler, but boy, did that talk ruffle the feathers of Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman, among many others. Kleiman was so bothered, in fact, ?he put out possibly one of the most Memphis statements in response. (If you are from Memphis, you know exactly what I am talking about because #wedontbluff If you aren’t from Memphis, do a bit of research on our city before you believe what you hear and leap to the rampant negativity about our city and its people.)

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Kleiman’s emphatic statement is purposefully long (which I normally am opposed to) but loaded with Memphis grit (and grind) the Grizzlies -- and our city -- have become known for. He chose his words carefully, and they were loaded with motivation and purpose, along with various trigger words for Memphians. To this communications professional and Memphian, it is a masterpiece.

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“I can’t blame other “executives” for fantasizing about us trading Ja. But it’s just that - fantasy. We are not trading Ja. Continue to underestimate Ja, this team and this city, and we will let our performance on the floor speak for itself. I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen and look forward to getting back to basketball.”

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Let's break it down a bit, shall we? The use of the word fantasy is masterful to me. Granted, the Grizzlies may eventually trade Ja Morant ( the team traded hometown legend and fan favorite Marc Gasol) but for now, this statement helped settle some of the angst the fan base has when we see a sullen and unhappy looking #12 on the bench. Kleiman saying trading Ja is a fantasy to other executives solidifies our trust in him (at least for now.) He used that word to say we (the Grizzlies) are in it for the long term. The team ?-- and this city -- has invested in Ja. And Ja has embraced Memphis as his home. For a small market team to get such a superstar (and yes, I am fully aware of his off-the-court antics) is a precious thing and we have enjoyed it!

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Now, jump to the end of the statement, and his use of the word “nonsense.” It is scathing to other NBA executives and to the media that earn their paycheck discussing sports news and trade talks. And I love it. It is an emphatic message that this front office wouldn’t do what the Dallas Mavericks just did with Luka. (Again, they may in the future, but at least for a while, it seems Ja will stay put.) Whew. A collective sigh of relief.

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Now for the most Memphis part of the statement, the middle. Kleiman doesn’t just feed to Ja’s competitiveness by using the word “underestimate.” He speaks to Ja, the entire fan base and all Memphians about being underestimated. Trust me, we’ve all been there and have all been underestimated. Do a little research on Ja Morant and you will find that he was overlooked by college recruiters yet ended up having an amazing career at mid-major Murray State. He has built his game and his career on being underestimated. ?Same for us Memphians. When people find out I live in Memphis, they often assume the worst and even comment how they could never live there (without even knowing much about the city!) Sometimes Memphis isn’t for the faint of heart, and we have our fair share of issues, but together, we have proven time and time again how resilient we are as a city. So go ahead, test a Memphian. I promise we won't buckle.

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Kleiman uses that as a rallying cry for the city, the team and the fans, as we head into the season after the All- Star break. Now is the time to GRIT, GRIND and ultimately WIN. We need Ja to do that. We need Jaren, Des, Zach, Luke, Jaylen, Santi and all the Grizzlies players. We need the entire fan base. And Kleiman knows, nothing gets us Memphians all going than telling us we can’t do something. Now, as Kleiman says, it’s time to get back to basketball.