Grizzlies, Raptors coaches defend city of Memphis after LeBron James' Nashville comments
Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo and Raptors coach Darko Rajaković defended the city of Memphis after LeBron James' comments advocating for Nashville.
The Memphis Grizzlies may be struggling on the court this season, but they’ve recently found themselves back in the national spotlight for reasons beyond basketball. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made headlines after criticizing Memphis hotels, then took it a step further by suggesting the Grizzlies should be relocated to Nashville. "Memphis on a (expletive) random ass Thursday," James said.
"I'm not like the first guy to even talk about it in the NBA. We all, like, 'You guys have to move. Just go over to Nashville.
You got Vanderbilt over there, you got the (expletive) NASCAR, you got a stadium. Don't they got a hockey team? Like, they've got everything.
" Those remarks prompted responses from Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo and Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajaković, both of whom pushed back on the narrative surrounding the city. Iisalo, who joined the Grizzlies ahead of the 2024–25 season, said his experience in Memphis has been overwhelmingly positive. “First of all, I don’t pay too much attention to what other people say,” he said.