Ja Morant‘s punishment was finally announced earlier in the week, with the Memphis Grizzlies star set to be suspended for 25 games to start the new season.
There were a lot of reactions from fans and even NBA players, but only a handful have experienced a suspension as long or longer than Ja’s. Metta Sandiford-Artest is one of those players and he took the time to show his support for Morant on social media.
“Looking forward to Ja Morant returning to play,” Metta tweeted. “We are all role models at some point. Ja will be even better from this. We are pulling for him!”
Looking forward to @JaMorant returning to play.
We are all role models at some point.
Ja will be even better from this.
We are pulling for him!
— Coach Metta (@MettaWorld37) June 16, 2023
Metta Sandiford-Artest, who was known as Ron Artest, received the longest on-court suspension in NBA history for his role in the Malice At The Palace. After getting involved with fighting fans in the stands, Artest was suspended for the rest of the regular season and any playoff games during the 2004-05 season, resulting in him missing 86 games.
Compared to that, Ja Morant’s suspension seems almost light, although Artest’s infraction was also a lot more intense than what Ja did. He would return from his suspension and make multiple All-Defensive Teams before winning an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010. Sandiford-Artest wasn’t on the levels that Ja has the potential for either, but his story can provide a lot of inspiration for the young Grizzlies superstar.
Ja Morant Has Taken Accountability For His Actions Following The Suspension
This whole ordeal has resulted in significant losses for Ja Morant, who has lost out on as much as $50 million thanks to the consequences of his multiple controversial actions. The Grizzlies man is seemingly cognizant of where has gone wrong though, releasing a statement promising to be better.
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” Morant wrote. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates, and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman, and Robert Pera – who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me – I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done.
“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision-making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season.”
He wrote all this and more in his statement, but it shows that Morant is taking the whole process seriously. People might not believe him until they see over some time that he has learned his lesson, but now seems like a time for the NBA community to support Morant and hope he gets back on track to fulfilling his immense potential.
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.
