Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas took offense to the NBA suspending Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant for 25 games for the start of the 2023-24 season.
The controversial guard expressed his opinion on this situation, labeling the suspension as ‘too harsh’ for Morant, considering that he already suffered a lot due to his mistakes.
“It’s too harsh,” Arenas bluntly told TMZ Sports. “Here is the reason: the NBA gun suspensions, the actual gun suspensions have only been one, three, seven games. Seven games have been the biggest, that was a gun being fired in a crowded place.”
He then explained why Morant is being suspended for that long, saying that it’s the unfair part of this situation, as the NBA is taking more factors into consideration instead of just the gun situation.
“Now, the suspension that me and Ja got is not related to guns. It’s related to behavior. Which is conduct detrimental. Which has no number. It can be from one to 82 games, depending on how they feel at that moment. That’s the unfair part. Like, I would rather just take the game suspension; three, seven games.”
“You’re punishing him, but you’re not actually punishing him for the actual crime he has committed. Now you’re going off of public perception. Which is the unfair part.”
Arenas reminded the NBA and fans that Ja has already taken hits over the past couple of months, with Powerade and Nike taking a little bit of distance from him, although the footwear and apparel company showed its support to the player after the league announced the 25-game suspension.
He’s expected to lose up to $50 million due to these suspensions, which is a big hit for any player.
The former All-Star also said that he expects Morant to appeal the punishment, and actually win the case. The NBPA previously shared the same feeling, saying that the suspension is really long and they will work with Ja to find alternatives to decrease the number of games he will miss next season or overturn the suspension altogether.
Morant already apologized for this situation, vowing to act better and making it clear this won’t happen again. As one of the future faces of the NBA, his image is very important for the league, and his actions are only hurting his career. Arenas is well aware of that, but he would’ve liked the NBA to make a different decision.
Arenas Himself Was Punished For A Lot Of Games
The former Washington Wizards star had to go through the same ordeal during his active days. He was involved in a gun controversy with former teammate Javaris Crittenton. Arguing over a card game, both players showed up in the Wizards’ locker room with guns, which caused a big stir in the league.
This year, Gil revealed that the late Commissioner David Stern gave him a 50-game suspension simply to keep the media away from the player and shut down that situation.
Just like Arenas, Morant will have some time to think about his career and the future. He needs to focus on what’s really important and leave everything that doesn’t help his career or brand behind. We hope that after this second suspension, Morant returns ready to keep showing his incredible talents on the court and stay out of trouble.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
