Ja Morant is 23 years old.
He is still very young in the grand scheme of things, but he is also old enough to know that some of his actions can jeopardize his career and maybe even his life. At the moment, nothing he has done is something you can’t return from.
My worry has always been he and his crew may run up on someone someday that has nothing to lose, and things could end in tragedy. I think of Nipsey Hussle and so many others that have lost their lives simply because they were dealing with people who didn’t give a f*ck who they were, and in fact, that jealousy about their fame could be a motive for their murders.
Hopefully, Ja has been scared straight after being suspended eight games by the NBA, and it appears, at least for now, the Grizzlies will tighten the strings a bit via The Athletic.
His first taste of being an NBA All-Star came last year, and on his flight to All-Star weekend in Cleveland was perhaps the first outward sign of trouble. Morant posted a video of himself heavily drinking while traveling with family members on a private jet. At times, Morant even used liquor bottles as faux guns while pointing at the camera.
There have even been travel measures taken to curtail nightlife habits this season, with the Grizzlies leaving more road cities (especially the glitzier ones, like Miami) immediately after the game instead of staying overnight. Additional accountability measures may follow.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant was allegedly seen showing off a gun on his IG Live this morning.pic.twitter.com/HlhvoWlnYy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 4, 2023
“We (will) sit down and talk to him and guide him through this process,” Jenkins said. “That’s going to be our focal point, on and off the court. As I said in the beginning, support and accountability — that’s what we are focused on. Not just in these recent couple of weeks, but moving forward.
“Obviously, things are going to be different.”
Morant got in trouble in Denver, so that tells me you can get in trouble anywhere. Morant will have plenty of time to make it rain at strip clubs, but for now, it is probably best he goes home after the games.
