LeBron James really, really, really doesn’t like Memphis. The Lakers star made that clear in a video collab with the YouTube show “Bob Does Sports,” during which he rather bluntly pointed out that he wasn’t a fan of traveling to Memphis to play the Grizzlies during the NBA season.
His main issue was with the city itself, and he didn’t hold back on stating why the Grizzlies should relocate to Nashville to expand their market.
“I’m f---ing 41 years of age. You think I want to do s--- in Memphis on a random Thursday?” James said. “I’m not the first guy in the NBA to talk about this. We all like, ‘You guys have to move.’ Just go over to Nashville. You got Vanderbilt over there, you got f---ing NASCAR, you got a stadium. Don’t they got a hockey team too?”
“Yeah they know,” James continued, speaking of his lack of desire to be in Memphis. “Their only chance was in 2003 if they would have won the lottery. And I might have pulled an Eli Manning and not shown up.”
LeBron James on playing the Grizzlies:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 2, 2026
“I’m f***ing 41 years of age. You think I want to do sh** 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.”
(via @leaguealerts) pic.twitter.com/ZN5y5vRg2p
Coming from someone who played in Cleveland for roughly half of his 23-year career, that’s a little rich.
James isn’t the only NBA player urging the league to move the Grizzlies to what he believes is a more exciting city. Warriors’ Draymond Green also suggested that the Grizzlies should move to Nashville for the same reasons:
“Just do everybody a favor and move that team to Nashville,” Green said on his eponymous podcast last month. “There are no great hotels in Memphis. I love the people of Memphis. They are incredible. Shoutout to the people of Memphis. I love them. But, just from an NBA standpoint, there's not a sauna or a hot tub in sight.
“... Get [the Grizzlies] the hell out of Memphis and send them to Nashville. Like, come on. Do the right thing, people. It's a reason the Tennessee Titans are in Nashville. ... Not one person would be upset.”
WNBA guard Sophie Cunningham made similar comments about Nashville being an attractive spot to host an expansion team—though she got roasted online for it as she seemed to throw shade at Cleveland and Detroit at the same time.
James’s latest critical rant on Memphis definitely won’t earn him any goodwill with the city, but it is worth exploring whether he has a point.
Why the Memphis Grizzlies probably won’t be relocating to Nashville anytime soon
True to what James and Green have both stated, Nashville arguably does seem like a more desirable destination for players given that it’s bigger and more modern with more things to do. The city already hosts two professional sports teams, the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and NHL’s Nashville Predators, and should be able to handle its very own NBA team with no issues.
The newly relevant topic of NBA expansion has been discussed by commissioner Adam Silver, with the league potentially growing to 32 teams; Seattle and Las Vegas currently appear to be the two frontrunners from those talks. On the topic of relocation, Silver emphasized that the Grizzlies being moved to Nashville wasn’t on the table right now while leaving the door just barely cracked open. Another possibility was switching the team from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, depending on how any future expansion plays out.
Looking ahead to the near future, the Grizzlies don’t boast a very large television market compared to others, and that likely won’t change with their ongoing drama surrounding Ja Morant and lack of a bona fide superstar. They’ve managed to squeak into the playoffs a few times in recent years but remain in the bottom three in the NBA in attendance for the last three straight seasons, which might indicate that a change of location could do them some good. But, crucially, any proposed move would have to take place after their lease at FedEx Forum runs out in 2029. Not to mention, the team and the city are attempting to negotiate a new lease that would include a substantial $550 million renovation of the arena, thus keeping the Grizzlies rooted there long-term.
Given Silver’s latest relocation comments and the Grizzlies’ rock-solid commitment to Memphis for at least the next three years, no one’s moving to Nashville, no matter how badly James wants to spend his Thursday evenings in a more attractive city.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Didn’t Disguise His Disgust for Memphis in Blunt Video on Grizzlies’ Relocation.
