It’s been a pretty rough week for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Last week started with reports about different bouts of aggression that, ultimately, led to police investigations on Morant. The Grizzlies All-Star wasn’t charged, but that’s still not a good look.
To follow that up, though, he also brought an apparent gun to a nightclub in Denver on Saturday after the Grizzlies’ matchup against the Nuggets. This has turned into a huge deal. Morant has been suspended by the team and there’s no timetable for his return. Morant is also reportedly being investigated by the Colorado police department for the gun he was carrying while on the road in Denver.
What makes that even worse, though, is that this could’ve all been avoided if Morant had just listened to his teammates. Steven Adams, in particular.
He didn’t call Morant out by name, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, but Adams did talk about discipline and staying “away from going out” on the road in a team meeting. And that was before his IG Live video at the Denver nightclub.
Reporting on @TheRally for the latest surrounding Grizzlies star Ja Morant – and details on a recent players-only meeting where a veteran pushed for better discipline on the road: pic.twitter.com/ICXC6YlrXF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 6, 2023
“I’m told there was a playeres only meeting recently where Steven Adams, there veteran center, he spoke out about how the team needs to show better discipline on the road…And I’m told, those in the room, when Steven Adams spoke out, they knew exactly who he was directing this to. It was no one other than Ja Morant. And, so, clearly, Ja Morant still went out in the early hours of Saturday. That video was posted with a gun, and there’s questions.”
Morant is one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. You absolutely hate to see things like this happening to him.
But this is a situation he put himself in. And it’ll be on Morant to pull himself out of it. Obviously, there are folks who are trying to help him along the way and that’s a great thing. Let’s hope Morant opens himself up to that a bit more next time.
