Ja in trouble again
- Thread starter coolhandluke
- Start date
It seems most of his issues began in the last year but if it's all alcohol related it was probably a slow spiral. He wasn't really highly recruited and broke out between his Sophomore season at Murray State and his rookie of the year win in 2020. I imagine at that point he just couldn't cope with celebrity life and the booze.
To be fair to Ja, they're in a parked car in what looks to be a very nice subdivision with no alcohol or other substances in sight. Let's not lose sight of the fact that last time he was getting blasted out of his mind in a strip club, an unpredictable environment where anything can happen. He's clearly making progress and everyone is all up on arms over it SMH
The reason it's such a big deal is because he is the face of his team, the whole organization, and one of the main faces of the league itself. He is diminishing a brand that many professional people have their names attached to. It also shows that he does not understand that, given that their are now two incidents of similar nature in a really short amount of time. Now Morant isn't just going to be approached as a guy that has a problem, but as a guy that does not understand why it's a problem. It's like the difference between being given a warning and being fired.
It sends a bad message. Guns shouldn't be glorified and he apparently thinks it's cool to glorify guns.
Guns can kill people, they're not toys, what message does that send to kids that are maybe confused about life and don't really know what's right or wrong.
It's just not a joke but he apparently thinks it is, the reaction is warranted imo
Guns can kill people, they're not toys, what message does that send to kids that are maybe confused about life and don't really know what's right or wrong.
It's just not a joke but he apparently thinks it is, the reaction is warranted imo
I've read more comments than I intended to about this (not here - on Twitter, RealGM, other boards etc) and lots of people are throwing out the 2nd Amendment, whether Ja was in a state that allowed open carry, why this is any different than an athlete taking a picture while hunting, personal freedoms etc.
Let's just sidestep the politics and legality here. The reality is that he's hurting the NBA's image and it's brand, and that equates to a lot of money.
Had this happened in isolation, it'd be a bad look and the NBA would likely talk to him about it privately. But given that it comes on the heels of the Grizzlies and the NBA doing everything they could as damage control after a much more serious incident (flashing a gun in a public place while apparently under the influence) as well as other off the court allegations and you have to imagine the Memphis front office and NBA league office are incredulous at this point.
This isn't about what is legal or not. It's about blatantly doing exactly what your employer told you not to do.
Let's just sidestep the politics and legality here. The reality is that he's hurting the NBA's image and it's brand, and that equates to a lot of money.
Had this happened in isolation, it'd be a bad look and the NBA would likely talk to him about it privately. But given that it comes on the heels of the Grizzlies and the NBA doing everything they could as damage control after a much more serious incident (flashing a gun in a public place while apparently under the influence) as well as other off the court allegations and you have to imagine the Memphis front office and NBA league office are incredulous at this point.
This isn't about what is legal or not. It's about blatantly doing exactly what your employer told you not to do.
Open carry does not mean waving your piece in the air whenever you please or to the beat of a song. You still have to demonstrate good gun safety and be a responsible gun owner. I’m all for gun ownership if one chooses, but don’t be an idiot about it. Perhaps he is being slightly unfairly targeted, but as you alluded to, his name is attached to millions, an NBA organization, and it’s attached to a national organization with billions of dollars at stake. If he’s not careful and doesn’t correct this behavior, he will be out of the league. The league will always value itself over a player, as it should.
@captain bill can clarify for himself, but I interpreted his comments to be intended as sarcastic humor. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't believe he was being serious.
