Draymond Green was not pleased with ESPN portraying Tee Morant as responsible for Ja Morant’s recent troubling actions. He called them out on his Instagram for pushing a narrative of wanting to remove another Black father from the life of their child.
“Oh no… let’s not remove another black father from their child’s life.”
Tee Morant may have made mistakes by trying to live the superstar life his son has earned on the court. However, everyone knows Ja has come from a loving and supportive household, so it’s unlikely he would have made it as far as he has if he didn’t have a supportive father like Tee.
After his son became a millionaire, it’s fair to criticize him for not ensuring Ja stays on the right path. Whether it was a fear of alienating his son and being cut off or simply because Ja is a grown man who makes his own decisions, Tee hasn’t come out looking good in this situation.
I am certain he won’t be joining the Grizzlies squad to try and fight Shannon Sharpe during a Lakers vs. Grizzlies game next season.
What Did ESPN Say About Tee Morant?
A team source within the Grizzlies’ organization held Tee Morant responsible for what happened with Ja, discussing the same with ESPN. Given it’s a quote from someone else, it’s fair to be used in the court of public opinion. The journalist hasn’t forced upon the viewer what his thoughts are but has used a team source quote, meaning there may be some dissent within the franchise as well.
“Tee has been a major driving force in all of this,” one team source said. “He never made the NBA, but this was his chance to live like he’s an NBA superstar. That’s been a problem from the beginning.”
Since Ja’s first eight-game suspension for flashing guns, everyone has hoped that Ja’s strong relationship with his father could lead to his betterment. It clearly hasn’t, given how the behavior remained unchanged until Morant got caught again and was suspended for 25 games, nearly $7 million loss in salary for Morant.
Grizzlies Reacted With A Neutral Response
After the ESPN article came out, the Grizzlies were quick to address the information. A bunch of players across the Grizzlies franchise commented, but head coach Taylor Jenkins had the most direct and update-oriented answer.
“I read the article, and I’m not going to comment on anonymous sources,” Jenkins said. “I’m not really going to comment on the past. I’m really just focused on the present and the strides he is making, positive strides and the strides that the team is making.”
Even Morant’s backcourt partner Desmond Bane is furious at how Ja is being treated, claiming the article only came out because it’s slow in the basketball media cycle to generate clicks.
“People are bringing up anything they can just to have something for people to read,” Bane said. “We ain’t worried about that. We are with 12. We are keeping everything in-house. We are holding everything together. We will have his back through it all.”
Any media organization worth its salt would verify quotes before publishing them, and I have little doubt that ESPN ensured they had an airtight source with the right qualifications to comment on such a situation. So, it doesn’t seem like the quote came from an erroneous source, which says a lot about the vibes in the locker room in Pemphis, with Morant out for 25 games through suspension.
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