Where does Ja Morant go from here after latest alleged gun incident?
The Memphis Grizzlies have suspended Ja Morant after the All-Star guard was seen brandishing what appeared to be a gun on an Instagram Live video. It's the second such incident in a little over two months for Morant, who was suspended eight games in March after being seen on another Instagram Live video flashing a gun in a Colorado strip club.
Morant is currently suspended by the Grizzlies from all team activities, while the NBA says it is in the process of gathering more information about the latest incident. According to ESPN, Morant could face a lengthy suspension from the league to start the 2023-24 NBA season.
Both Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless delivered their thoughts on Morant and those supporting him on Monday's episode of "Undisputed."
"I've said before, the best apology is changed behavior," Sharpe said. "When he was going through all this diatribe about what he learned about being away from the game and how important it was to him, I said, ‘I see better than I hear.’ I heard everything Ja said, and I said 'Now moving forward, I'm going to see if the behavior meets what he said.'
"At this point in time, I'm not even upset at Ja. I'm not mad, I'm not disappointed, I'm not embarrassed [for him]. I'm mad, I'm upset, I'm disappointed, I'm disgusted by the people that defended him. Because that's what got us here."
Grizzlies suspend Ja Morant after another alleged gun-flashing incident
Sharpe also pointed out how much money Morant had already lost through his actions. The point guard was not selected to any All-NBA team this past season despite leading the Grizzlies to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, potentially costing him as much as $39 million in max contract money. He could also continue to lose money if brands like Nike and Powerade drop their endorsement deals with him.
"I want all the people that said, 'Let Ja be Ja,' are y'all going to be the treasurer of that GoFundMe account? Because he just lost $39 million," Sharpe said.
Bayless focused on recounting in detail the various reported incidents involving Morant that led up to his first suspension, some of which also involved his friend Devontae Pack, on whose Instagram Live the most recent video of Morant allegedly holding a gun was seen.
The most notable of those incidents happened during and after a Jan. 29 game in Memphis between the Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers.
Pack was ejected from his courtside seat after walking onto the court during play to yell at Pacers players. After the game, several of Morant's associates including Pack reportedly waited by the Pacers' team bus to confront the visiting team, and after getting back into their cars, a laser was pointed at Indiana team members that some believed was from a gun. An NBA investigation found no evidence to corroborate that a gun was present, but Pack was banned from the Grizzlies arena for a year for his actions.
Both Morant and Pack have vehemently disputed the accounts of the postgame incident with the Pacers.
"I tried and tried and tried some more to love this kid, because I really do love him as a basketball player. Who doesn't?" Bayless said. "I had swept all the previous little incidents under my little carpet … [then] every little incident started to look bigger and bigger in light of the context of what happened that night in March after they lost in Denver."
It is that context, Bayless said, that made the NBA's initial punishment of Morant, which lasted 17 days and eight games, seem too light in his eyes.
"When it was suddenly announced he's back, I just felt completely bamboozled," Bayless said. "Like we just got taken for the biggest ride ever."
Morant and the Grizzlies lost in six games to the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. After the series was over, Morant told reporters that he had to be better with his decision-making off the court and that he was proud of the changes he had made after his initial suspension.
