Ja Morant waved a gun around in a Denver area club on Instagram Live and got a slap on the wrist from the NBA. Then he did it again, this time in a car with a friend this offseason, and Commissioner Adam Silver responded with a 25-game suspension that will have Morant sidelined until just before Christmas this season.
Some people have offered up reasons or excuses defending Morant — but not his father, Tee Morant. Speaking at the Up Next Elite Camp in New Orleans, the elder Morant was honest about the situation.
“My son didn’t get in trouble for people around him, he got in trouble for his decisions. So always be mindful of every decision y’all make, because it can pretty much take over you and consume you and make you think that you’re who you’re not…
“The smallest thing you can do can make the biggest difference in your life. When I’m talking about life and living, I get kind of emotional… but I’m just telling y’all to make the right decisions.”
The Grizzlies look like a team on a path to title contention in a few years. However, it was also a roster that kept shooting itself in the foot because of what NBC’s Corey Robinson described as their “punk rock attitude.” The Memphis front office made some moves this offseason, letting Dillon Brooks go (to Houston) and bringing in no-nonsense veteran Marcus Smart (as well as Derrick Rose off the bench). The goal was clear: injecting some maturity and on-court focus into the roster.
However, as Tee Morant noted, it ultimately comes down to decisions. It’s on the players to make the ones that have the Grizzlies living up to their potential.