Ja Morant is one of the NBA’s most exciting players. Since being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019 the team has been on an upwards trajectory. A collection of young talent, good veterans, and the play of Morant has elevated the Grizzlies to legitimate title contenders. During the 4 years Morant has been part of the team, the Grizzlies have been to the playoffs 3 times. Only missing out on Morant’s first year with the team (they tied with the 8th seeded Portland that year).
The last two years, the Grizzlies have been the 2nd best team in the West. In the stacked conference this is by no means an easy feat to accomplish. Morant is leading the way by averaging 22.4 points, and 7.4 assists for his career. He’s been selected as an All-Star, won Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved Player. The team’s early success along with his play are all signs of an all-time great career in the making. The Grizzlies couldn’t have asked the basketball Gods for a more perfect scenario.
This has naturally propelled Morant into Superstardom in the NBA and has opened many doors for the young superstar. Among the doors opened are sponsorship deals with Coca-Cola to become the face of Powerade. A signature shoe deal with Nike, which just started selling Morant’s Ja 1 shoes in April. And of course, the five-year rookie max extension he signed last year with the Grizzlies for up to $231 million. You could say Morant has everything going his way.
But for some reason, he keeps finding himself in troublesome situations outside of the basketball court. From physical altercations with minors to threatening Mall employees, and multiple gun incidents. Morant is on a mission to self-sabotage his career.
Morant Trouble
In June 2022, Morant was accused of threatening a Mall security guard. After a shoe store employee had a dispute with his mother in the store. Morant arrived with at least nine other people to confront the employee and caused a scene. The director of mall security was allegedly pushed in the head during the altercation. Why would you call your millionaire son and put him in a position like this?
The next incident occurred in late July of 2022. A 17-year-old boy (now 18) reported being punched by Morant and another man during a pickup basketball game. The boy’s family sued, and Morant filed a countersuit accusing the teenager as the aggressor. According to the lawsuit, the boy threw a basketball at his face intentionally. Morant told police that he acted in self-defense and “swung first”. The boy told police that Morant went into his house and returned with a gun. During this incident, there were multiple family members and friends present yet nobody made the effort to de-escalate things before or after things got out of hand.
Without missing a beat, in September Ja and members of his circle went to Houston High School to confront a student. The student had allegedly called his sister, the infamous “B” word at a volleyball game. Someone tried to take a picture of Morant, and his associate allegedly knocked the phone out of their hands. The associate said “I don’t care about none of that, I will beat y’all ass.” Why in the world is an NBA player going to a high school to pick a fight with kids?
Ja Wick
In January, Morant was in the middle of an argument during a game against the Pacers. The argument continued outside of the arena. The Indiana personnel reported that someone in the SUV Morant was in shined a red laser from a gun at them. There was no proof here, but the following incidents start making this one a lot more credible.
He then filmed himself on Instagram Live recklessly handling a gun in a strip club back in March. Morant released a statement saying, “I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis, and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.” Morant left the team and entered a counseling program to “get help”. I can understand the need to blow off some steam. But what is the purpose of flashing the gun on Instagram?
He had a conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and it seemed as if he understood why his behavior was a problem. It only took him about two months to do it again. On Saturday, May 13, Morant flashed a gun during another live video. The Memphis Grizzlies immediately suspended him from all team activities.
The apology message from Ja Morant read “I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself” Morant said via ESPN. Fans are speculating the apology is the work of Chat GPT.
The writers at Sideline Cue share our opinions on Ja Morant
Angel: Should Ja Morant be suspended?
Ben Sherman: “I think he should be suspended for AT LEAST half the season. He’s one of the faces of the NBA and a role model for a lot of younger people. For him to do this again is ignorant”.
Angel: “I get it, I’m a big fan too but this is reckless. I can imagine the league isn’t going to be as nice this time”.
Chandra: “I don’t know how harsh league punishment should be but Nike and Powerade need to reconsider their terms”.
Angel: “I would be surprised if he keeps both deals”.
Ivan Pelly: “To be honest not really surprised and in a way, I don’t blame him. The way culture has become so gun obsessed feels a bit ridiculous. But since he IS a role model it’s a big problem that he is perpetuating it. I don’t blame him, but consequences are necessary”.
Chandra: “He was already suspended, I don’t think this violates league policy but might violate contract terms with the Grizzlies. So they might do something.”
Abraham Chao: “But it’s also a business and they don’t want that as their image. Even if it didn’t break any team rules, I think they suspend him to send a stronger message.”
Chandra: “Yeah, I think what he’s doing falls under giving the team a bad image. So they could probably suspend him on that”.
Abraham: “No matter what the league will be involved. Especially because it’s twice”.
Sponsor not happy
Because of these incidents, there is a lot of speculation as to how the NBA will handle this situation. One of his sponsors is already taking action. As reported by Michele Steele from ESPN, Coca-Cola is already distancing itself by pulling its Powerade ads with Ja Morant. This is a big change after they launched the campaign featuring the NBA star back in March of this year.
Final Thoughts
Listen, I’m a big fan of Ja, he’s my favorite active player, to be honest. The number of incidents within a short amount of time is a sign that he doesn’t understand what’s at stake. Not just for him but as a successful young man, he is a role model for young kids everywhere. Even if he doesn’t care about being a role model, his actions are reckless. I didn’t fully buy into his initial apology, it felt insincere and now we have the proof, he doesn’t care.
A wise man once said, “Believe somebody when they show who they are”. This is who he is or at least who he wants to be. I won’t talk down on a man for making mistakes and living his life. But as an individual who understands the impact his actions have, I can’t support this behavior. As of today, I’m off the Ja Morant hype train and his mission to self-sabotage.
