LeBron James Urges NBA To Move Memphis Grizzlies to Nashville

Nick Pedone|published: Thu 2nd April, 14:37 2026

Jan 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James (23) as he drives to the basket during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

LeBron James isn’t a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies. Or at least he’s not a fan of playing in Memphis.

While playing golf with famous YouTuber “Bob Does Sports,” James expressed his true feelings about the matter.

“I’m f****** 41 years old, you think I want to do that s*** being in Memphis on a random a** Thursday?” James joked. “I’m not like the first guy even to talk about in the NBA. Like, we all like you guys have to move. Go over to Nashville.”

Throughout his legendary career, James has never shied away from being the individual to voice what others were thinking. Plenty of speculation around James eventually owning a team existed until last week, when he dismissed interest in owning an NBA expansion franchise.

James, who is a partner in the Fenway Sports Group, will stick to minority ownership stakes and jabs at the Grizzlies for now, apparently.

Does what he said have credence?

Here’s the thing. James is right. Memphis isn’t a glamorous city. He’s not the first one to mention this, either. His longtime friend and Draymond Green has also been on the record speaking out against Memphis, which is oftentimes mentioned as the league’s smallest market.

Obviously, Nashville is a much more modern, attractive city for NBA players. There’s just more to get into. But remember, the city of Nashville already hosts the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and the NHL’s Predators as major sports organizations.

Would the city be able to support the Grizzlies? That’s the real question.

The Grizzlies have one of the smallest television markets in the NBA. On top of that, the team hasn’t been very successful or exciting, leading to a lack of national coverage. Over the last three seasons, the Grizzlies have been a bottom three team in the NBA in terms of attendance, also.

As the NBA contemplates expanding the league to 32 teams with Las Vegas and Seattle as two markets in line for teams, the future of the Grizzlies in Memphis will continue to be a talking point.

A move to Nashville would be much more complicated than what James thinks. The Grizzlies are tied to Memphis through their lease at FedExForum until 2029 and a massive $550M renovation plan is already underway to keep them there longer.

The NBA players might not like Memphis, and that is totally understandable. But logistically, it doesn’t seem like the Grizzlies are going anywhere. At least not any time soon.

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