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Ja Morant has plenty of support from current and former players who want the 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies star to get back on the right track before it is too late.
Morant is currently on indefinite leave from the team after going on Instagram Live and waving a gun inside of a club. The incident is being investigated by the NBA and Colorado police. The incident came just days after reports surfaced alleging Morant beat up a 17-year-old last year during a pick-up basketball game before flashing a gun, while also confronting a mall security officer and making threats.
Many are hoping that Morant, who is one of the most talented young players in the league, can get his life in order and avoid any more missteps off of the court to fully live up to his potential and avoid throwing everything away.
Shaquille O’Neal took the time to deliver a direct, pointed message to Morant during the NBA on TNT on Tuesday night, urging Morant to use common sense and to stop putting himself in compromising situations.
"We have to stop putting ourselves in positions to where they can take away what we've worked so hard to get."@SHAQ shares his thoughts on Ja Morant pic.twitter.com/9W2avSZ2nh
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 8, 2023
“You don’t go live, nobody knows he has a weapon, [then] we’re not talking about this, but HE did that,” Shaq said, via TMZ Sports. “We have to stop putting ourselves in positions where they can take away the things that we worked hard for.
“You got to have enough common sense to know that wasn’t going to go how you wanted it to go. You’re not a rapper. You’re an NBA player.”
Morant apologized to his family, teammates, coaches, fans, and the entire Grizzlies organization for his recent actions, while saying he will use the time away “to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Let’s hope he takes the advice he has been receiving from some of the league’s greats and fellow professional athletes to heart.
