Ja Morant draws a grandmaster level chessboard to destroy Ben Simmons | This is the Loop | So Good News

In just the last 48 hours, we’ve seen just how tough the world of professional sports can be. A month ago, New York Yankees fans were in full support of bringing Aaron Judge back in 2023 regardless of the cost, and now a decent majority of them are happy to see him walk away. Earlier this NFL season, New England Patriots fans would have lined up in front of the train for Mack Jones. On Monday night, they were singing for Bailey Zappé, a fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky.

And then there’s Ben Simmons, who LeBron James and Magic Johnson compared to coming out of college. A few years later, he became the laughingstock of the Association when his latest brazen crime happened on Monday night in Memphis. Yes, Simmons plays basketball now.

After Monday night, he probably wished he was still riding the pine in his street clothes. Late in a tight game against the Grizzlies, Simmons, who already has five fouls, was fouled by former No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant’s grandmaster-level chess move. How it went down:

What’s so great about that, you ask? Aside from telling one of Brooklyn’s best defenders it was night with four minutes left, Morant made it clear after his team’s 10-point win that he remembered his rookie game in 2020 with Simmons. Philadelphia 76ers. The play came late in the first half as Morant lazily dribbled into the half court and ran out the clock. As he looked over to the bench to meet his coach, Simmons came over and scooped him up for an easy bucket.

Basketball IQ is 1 billion. It is also a product of film research, observing trends and exploiting them. His Simmons is just the icing on the cake. Man cannot get out of his way now.