Ja Morant’s reputation is once again teetering on the edge, and former NBA guard Jeff Teague believes the league could take a page from history to handle it.
In a recent podcast appearance, Teague made a striking comparison, suggesting that the NBA might “Iverson” Morant if he doesn’t clean up his image—referencing the way Allen Iverson’s off-court behavior was used to gradually push him out of the league despite his enduring talent.
“You know they gonna try to, like, they gonna try to Iverson him. Like, when we loved Iverson—everybody loved Iverson—they started trying to, like, just pinpoint bad s**t on him.”
“So you know, he got screw knots for it. Like, ain’t no way Allen Iverson only played, what, 12, 13 years? Like, nah bro. Like, they started pinpointing stuff that we ain’t like about him. The media did. That’s what they gonna do to Ja Morant.”
“Already he like kind of falling out of graces with people. Like, you know, people starting to take him out of the top 10 point guard. You know what I mean?”
“These n****s don’t even talk about him. And he’s one of the best players—not point guard—best players in the NBA. All this stuff. And it ain’t even really nothing, because I see 25 other players do this and all.”
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The warning is blunt but not far-fetched. Iverson, once the face of an entire generation, saw his NBA career abruptly shortened despite still having gas left in the tank.
His clashes with league culture, personal style, and off-court perception were heavily scrutinized, often overshadowing his greatness. Teague is concerned that Morant is on a similar trajectory.
The 24-year-old Morant is undeniably one of the NBA’s most electrifying stars. He’s averaging 23.0 points and 7.3 assists this season and has bounced back well after a shaky start and the suspension that sidelined him at the beginning of the campaign. However, his recent behavior is drawing unwanted attention again.
After flashing a gun on Instagram Live on two occasions in 2023 and serving a long suspension, Morant has tried to shift his focus back to basketball. But old habits—or in this case, old gestures—die hard. Earlier this week, after a heated loss to the Warriors, Morant appeared to mimic a gun gesture aimed toward the Golden State bench.
While several Warriors players reportedly did the same first, Morant’s history made his actions far more consequential. The NBA has launched an investigation into both Morant and Warriors guard Buddy Hield, but it’s clear Morant’s name carries heavier baggage.
The backlash didn’t end there. The very next night, after being cleared of punishment, Morant celebrated a three-pointer by mimicking a grenade toss. It was a gesture less obviously provocative, but still risky given his history and the NBA’s sensitive stance on gun imagery and violence. This came just hours after the league had warned against any gun-related celebrations moving forward.
The concern isn’t only about the gestures—it’s about perception. Morant’s public image has taken multiple hits over the past two years, and fair or not, the league may not afford him many more slip-ups.
As Teague pointed out, the media has largely cooled on Morant, with top-10 point guard lists and MVP chatter now conspicuously excluding him.
The stakes are high. Morant is the face of the Grizzlies, who are fighting to secure a top-six seed in the West. He has shown he can still dominate, putting up elite numbers in crunch time and leading Memphis during a critical stretch. Yet, none of that will matter if the league begins to view him as more trouble than he’s worth.
Whether Morant learns from history or becomes another cautionary tale remains to be seen. But if the NBA does decide to “Iverson” him, as Teague suggested, it may not come with a warning—just an exit.
