Grizzlies star Ja Morant is undeniable when it comes to the game of basketball. Sadly, when it comes to everything else, Morant doesn’t have the best track record. In just the span of a few months, Ja got caught twice wielding a gun on social media, and that’s not to mention all of the other incidents he has been involved in.
This week, the league finally settled on a suspension for Ja, which stands at 25 games entering next season. And while it may seem obvious why the league ultimately made this decision, NBA insider Sam Amick revealed some more details about why Adam Silver felt it was his responsibility to come down hard and make a clear statement.
“It seems to have reached a point where the optics surrounding these two Morant situations were so bad, and so potentially damaging in terms of the ripple effect on the millions of young fans who follow him, that the details of what actually took place only mattered so much,” wrote Amick. “There was a bigger picture in play here, with Silver well aware that gun violence disproportionately affects the Black community, and a clear belief from his vantage point that it was the league’s responsibility to consider the societal ramifications of Morant’s social media habits. Even if Morant wasn’t being charged by the authorities.”
Ja Morant’s choice to break his promise made to Adam Silver in their March meeting clearly factored into his suspension, writes @sam_amick.
So what steps does he have to follow to be reinstated?https://t.co/OER8sLNop6
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) June 17, 2023
Image matters for the NBA, and it’s just not a good look for one of their top players to flash a gun like it’s some kind of toy for all the world to see. In today’s age, when gun violence is so prevalent, the NBA just can’t risk sending the wrong kind of message to their fans.
For Ja’s part, he should know better than to do some of the things he’s been doing but it seems alcohol is at least partly to blame for his lapse in judgement.
Ja’s Reputation May Never Recover
Even long after his suspension is over, Morant is going to be facing the fallout from his actions. His career, reputation, and legacy have all been damaged by this disaster and the only hope now is that Morant stops before the bleeding gets worse.
At this point, the only way for Morant to regain the respect of the public, he has to show that he can play and lead without all the drama.
If he does that and helps the Grizzlies make a playoff run, people may start to forgive him for some of his mistakes.
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.
