Ja Morant made a real stir in the National Basketball Association, but one of the most talented and popular athletes of our time distinguished himself not at all on the floor, as his team finished the season in the first round of the playoffs. The 23-year-old point guard of the Memphis Grizzlies appeared on video on social networks with a gun in his hands for the second time in a couple of months.
The first incident occurred in early March. After the defeat by Denver, Jha went to a nightclub and in the midst of the party decided to share with subscribers how he spends time. The basketball player went live and in the heat of the moment began to brandish weapons. Naturally, the video very quickly spread across the network, causing a flurry of indignation.
The NBA immediately initiated an investigation, and the club announced that Morant would miss at least the next two games. As a result, the league imposed an eight-match suspension on the athlete without pay.
"Jha's behavior was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous. It is also fraught with serious consequences, given his incredible popularity and influence, in particular, among young fans who look up to him, "NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at the time.
At the same time, we can say that the American got off easily, because for carrying a weapon while intoxicated in Colorado, up to four months in prison is due. However, the police did not open a case, citing the fact that the department did not receive any complaints or calls from the entertainment venue that evening.
The star of "Memphis" then apologized, repented of incontinence and promised to improve. According to the NBA's best rookie of 2020, he realized that he could lose a lot because of his behavior, as well as let the team down. The player even sought advice from specialists to learn how to cope with stress.
The delinquent defender in the game against Houston returned to the court, and the audience greeted him with applause during the warm-up. He stepped onto the floor from the bench and scored 17 points in 24 minutes. The athlete's father, Ti Morant, also attended that meeting. It is noteworthy that he wore a sweatshirt with the symbolic inscription "Atonement".
For a traditional American happy ending, beautiful and correct words remained to be confirmed by actions, but it turned out that Jha had difficulties with this.
A few days after the decisive defeat to the Lakers and the early end of the season, the defender was spotted at a party with alcohol. A week later, Jha was caught on video of one of his friends - again with a gun. The guys were broadcasting live right from the car, dancing to loud music. At some point, the filmmaker depicted a gun with his fingers, and then Morant flashed in the frame with a real weapon. The cameraman quickly pulled the camera away, but this did not save the basketball player: the recording went viral again.
After that, the athlete was overtaken by the effect of déjà vu: the NBA announced a new investigation, which is rumored to take about a week, and Memphis suspended him from any activities with the team. Experts expect that this time the defender will suffer a much more serious punishment. So, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA commissioner is under great pressure from clubs who believe that this situation casts a shadow not only on the Grizzlies, but also on them. And the well-known analyst and TV presenter Stephen A. Smith said that according to his data, Jha could be left without basketball for a whole year.
Meanwhile, at the same time, enterprising fans are putting pressure on Nike, demanding to break the multimillion-dollar advertising agreement with Morant. They also call for a boycott of the star's personal shoe collection. Opinion leaders also join the indignation of fans. So, the popular commentator Michael Wilbon forbade his son to buy the same sneakers.
"You can try to get out of it through PR on other social networks and the like. But the question is whether he will do the necessary work on himself in order to get out of this [situation] and not put an end to everything. After all, what can happen now? Will Nike terminate his contract? And Powerade? Speaking of my family, I told Matthew that he couldn't see the sneakers. I won't buy them... Our family will not financially support this, "the observer emphasized.
Former Memphis player Kwame Brown launched a whole angry tirade against Morant, in which he accused him of stupidity and irresponsibility. He also urged the athlete to part with friends who put him under attack instead of stopping him from rash actions.
"You like to play with guns ... Instead of buying as many guns as you want and indulging with all this arsenal at home, and not on camera, you prefer to ask for trouble by dragging the barrel to a nightclub, ostentatiously apologize, and then flaunt with a gun on the air. You're a disgrace to the NBA. You've been promised $231 million, and you want to pretend to be a bandit?" said Brown.
The athlete himself is still silent. Finding a decent way out of this delicate situation for the club this time, perhaps, will not be easy.