The Memphis Grizzlies star, Ja Morant is an icon in the NBA, however, he is not acting like one. For those who aren’t aware of Morant, he is suspended by the Grizzlies for a couple of games. Though there is no return timeline for Morant, it is quite unfortunate to say, that Morant is earning a bad name for himself. The 2x MVP is an absolute force of nature on the court, however, his decisions outside the court are questionable.
Morant is not making anything easy for himself, as every decision of his is being criticized. Today we will take a look at all the controversies that Morant has involved himself in as his suspension stands.
Ja Morant threatened a security guard in a mall
To start, we’ll take a look at the mall incident which start the chain of controversial decisions from Morant. Last summer, Morant was accused of passing threats to a security guard in the mall during an altercation. The incident took place in a parking lot when a lady was escorted out of the mall, who called a group of people. In the group, Morant and his friend Davonte Pack were a part of it.
@memgrizz Ja Morant could be in trouble with the law
Morant was reportedly accused of repeatedly punching a teenage boy in the head and threatening him with a gun last summer.
The Grizzlies star was also accused of threatening a Memphis mall's head of security. #Grizzlies #NBA pic.twitter.com/NUay9JViw4
— Kenny The Sports Guy Podcast (@kenny_sports) March 1, 2023
During the exchange, Morant threatened the guard. According to the police report “Let me find out what time he gets off,” said Morant. One of the members of the group, allegedly Davonte pack shoved the guard in his head. The guard did file a report, “because he felt threatened by the statement from Ja Morant.” Said the guard. However, no arrests were made and the parties left the scene without causing further harm.
The allegation made against Ja Morant for punching and flashing a gun at a 17-year-old
The most shocking news came when Ja got involved in a fight with a 17-year-old. He allegedly punched the boy during a basketball game, and the fight turned out to be fatal. Morant punched the 17-year-old 12-13 times and flashed a gun at him. It is claimed that the victim filed a lawsuit against him. However, Morant claimed that he acted in self-defense, nonetheless, this landed him in a lot of trouble.
The Washington Post is reporting that Ja Morant is being accused of allegedly beating up a 17-year-old boy and pointing a gun at him. “He came to the mall 9 deep after his mom had an argument at Finish Line” pic.twitter.com/IEcprrXijV
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) March 1, 2023
The Washington Post brought the incident to light. Morant pointed a gun at the teenager after punching him “12-13” times during the fight. According to Molly Hensley-Clancy, Ja “re-emerged with a gun visible in the waistband of his pants and his hand on the weapon” when he came out of the house.
The NBA banned Ja Morant’s friend Davonte Pack from the FedEx Forum
On January 29, the Memphis Grizzlies hosted the Indiana Pacers, and Morant’s friend Davonte was in the audience. In the third quarter, Morant got into an argument with the Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard. Davonte and Morant’s father Tee Morant engaged in a verbal argument with him. However, it didn’t end well for Davonte, who was escorted out of the court by security.
That is not all, after the game Davonte and Ja once again indulged in mischief. However, this time they crossed the line. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Grizzlies, where the Pacers staff were loading the bus. Morant drove an SUV slowly as they passed the Pacers staff, with Davonte pointing a red laser. This caused the Pacers staff to believe, that they were “in grave danger.”
Associates of Ja Morant verbally accosted Pacers personnel and someone trained a red laser on them from a nearby SUV postgame on Jan. 29.
“We felt we were in grave danger," a person who was present said.
The NBA investigated the incident.
More from @bkravitz and @sam_amick:
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 5, 2023
An investigation was led by the NBA, which resulted in Davonte being banned from the FedEx Forum.
Ja Morant flashed a gun on social media
Ja’s actions this month have been beyond questionable. The Memphis Grizzlies suspended Morant for a minimum of a 2-game ban, however, he has been left out of 4 games till now. Despite allegations being made against him, his decisions have been questionable. Every move of his is being criticized.
Morant landed himself in major trouble when he flashed a gun during an Instagram Live video. This came a few days after the allegations were made about him punching the 17-year-old. The NBA and the police are investigating the incident. Suspicions are growing that the point guard carried the gun with him when traveling on the team airplane. However, Ja did take responsibility for his actions on social media.
Ja Morant’s photos are leaked from a strip club
Well, this one is not as serious as the controversies mentioned above. However, it is worth mentioning, that Morant’s character has been called to question with his decision to spend time at a strip club. This incident took place 2 days earlier than when Morant flashed a gun, and it was relatively unknown until a few days ago.
The strip club got paid for the videos and photos of Ja Morant from the Ny post… Athletes entertainers please don’t spend a dime or step another foot in there out of respect for Ja…. Whoever owned that strip club sold that video for self benefit… Athletes I’m going to keep… https://t.co/FdU6uHer14
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) March 12, 2023
The photos of Morant getting a lap dance in a VIP lounge were supposedly leaked by the owner of the club. In the photo, the whole place is covered in money, and Morant spends $50,000 on tips. Some have criticized the NBA star, however, Dez Bryant showed support for him, after advising players and celebrities to avoid going to that particular club.
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