Shannon Sharpe was one of the first people to call out Ja Morant for his off-court antics. As NBA fans will undoubtedly be aware, the Memphis Grizzlies star is currently under heavy scrutiny for supposedly threatening a 17-year-old boy with a gun during a backyard basketball game. According to the Post’s Candance Buckner, Morant pointed a gun at the boy. However, she soon corrected herself and explained that he simply had the firearm on his person.
Nonetheless, considering that this is not the only time that Morant has appeared to be in the wrong, Sharpe had strong words for him and called out his behavior. Since we know that Shannon also used to be a professional athlete in the NFL, let us take a look at what he said and decipher the truth behind it.
NBA fans have mixed feelings after Shannon Sharpe’s statement on Ja Morant
While there is no denying that Morant could have handled the situation better, some fans feel that the media is giving this too much attention and blowing things out of proportion. Especially considering that some of them have behaved quite questionably in the past.
I’m tryna figure out why Ja is being blamed for this. And what this has to do with him not being “a thug”. I know he’s not very likable to some people but damn y’all just hate this dude smh
— Iman Locke (@locke_tommie) February 6, 2023
As fans will know, Shannon co-hosts a popular sports talk show called “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” alongside NBA journalist and critic Skip Bayless. After Ja and the Grizzlies played against the Indiana Pacers, there was an interaction outside between Morant, his friends, and the Pacers team.
Apparently, someone flashed a laser light at the Pacers team bus from inside as SUV that Morant was driving. As a result, there was panic as it was instantly presumed to be a gun. One of Ja’s friends was suspended from attending Grizzlies games due to this altercation. Later Shannon had words for Ja when discussing the situation on air with Skip Bayless.
Acquaintances of Ja Morant reportedly aggressively confronted members of the Pacers organization:
“I wish Ja would realize he’s not a thug. You’re not about that life! No one looks at you and thinks you’re hood. Stop pretending!!” — @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/YSmx9lJKjC
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 6, 2023
“I wish Ja would realize he is not a thug…Ja did everything he could to lift himself and his family out of this situation to get away from this and for some reason, he wants to surround himself with these types of people…Bruh you not hard that’s not your life…No one looks at you and thinks you’re hood.”
Perhaps Shannon is making a valid point and some fans are agreeing with him. However, a few pointed out that Sharpe was the one who escalated a situation with Ja and the Grizzlies during a Lakers home game. Therefore, he really isn’t qualified to be educating the Grizzlies star on how to behave.
Shannon talking like he wasnt just at the Lakers game tryna fight these same Ja Morant led Grizzlies 🤔 even was tryna fight the man Dad smfh @ShannonSharpe u really been showing ur true colors these past couple months
— _DeeG (@DeeG_21) February 6, 2023
Didn’t this man just try to fight the whole grizzlies team? He probably should have sat this convo out
— Lost in the (All-Pro)Sauce (@AdamRolfe11) February 6, 2023
Despite that, we still hope that Ja does not continue to engage in these kinds of activities. If he does so, it is very possible for him to be suspended from the NBA and face dire consequences.
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