Alleged leaked audio surfaces of Hawks' Georges Niang shading Quentin Grimes as just a ‘role player’ on 76ers

An audio clip was recently leaked on social media of an exchange between Atlanta Hawks forward Georges Niang and Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes. The heated interaction took place this past Sunday when the Hawks hosted the 76ers in Atlanta.

The two players went back and forth talking trash to each other in a game that Atlanta controlled from start to finish. The clip in question gained a lot of traction on X as it allegedly featured Niang calling Grimes a 'role player' for the 76ers.

The clip with subtitles of the audio was uploaded to social media on Monday by a professional lip reader, who posts under the handle 'LegendZ' on X.

In the video, a frustrated Niang can be seen talking smack to Grimes after sending him to the free-throw line with a foul.

"You're not even playing real basketball", said Niang after fouling Grimes.

He added, "Wherever you go next year, you ain't getting none of this s**t... you're going to be a role player just like in New York".

Grimes ignored the comments and took his first free throw. After making it, he had a few words of his own.

"Imma get you every time I play"

Niang responded by saying that the only reason Grimes was getting all the opportunities he has been getting to perform for his team was because of all the injuries on the 76ers' roster. In addition to Joel Embiid and Paul George both being out for the rest of the season, the 76ers' starting point guard, Tyrese Maxey, has been out with a back injury as well.

Sunday's matchup against the Hawks was Maxey's 11th consecutive game missed. In that duration, Grimes, who the 76ers acquired from the Mavericks at the trade deadline, has stepped up in a major way. Since March 1, he has averaged 28 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, which includes two 40-point performances in that span.

So Niang is not completely out of line. But there's no reason to downplay Grimes' surge in scoring.

In the aforementioned stretch, Grimes has also shot 39.8% from 3 on over eight and a half attempts per game. It is by far the best stretch of his career.

Niang added, "Joel here, your a** would be in the corner... Tyrese, you're in the corner".

Grimes responded, "You ain't even gonna play in the playoffs", before making his second free throw.

The Hawks won the game 132-119, with Niang scoring 20 points on an impressive 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. On a losing effort, Grimes had 26 points and 6 assists.

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Hawks' Dyson Daniels makes NBA history

Dyson Daniels isn't a particularly exciting player to watch, but he's quietly been one of the most destructive forces in the NBA this season. The Atlanta Hawks guard is currently averaging the most steals per game since John Stockton in the 1988-1989 season.

Daniels' 3.1 steals per game is leading the league by a considerable margin and on Sunday night, against the Philadelphia 76ers, he made NBA history.

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks - Source: Imagn

After notching five steals in the 132-119 win over the 76ers, his steals total for the season moved up to 202. Early in the third quarter, Daniels got his 200th steal, and he became the youngest player in NBA history to have 200 or more steals in a single season.

At 22 years and six days, Daniels surpassed the previous record holder, Magic Johnson, who was 22 years and 240 days old when he had 208 steals in the 1981-1982 season.

Daniels has emerged as a potential candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year since the award's favorite, Victor Wembanyama, was ruled out for the rest of the season.