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Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant will spend the first 25 games of the 2023-24 NBA season watching his team play.
That’s due to a suspension handed down from the league after Morant was seen waving a gun in a social media video just months after he was suspended for a similar incident at a Denver night club.
But according to a new report, Morant’s troubling off court behavior began long before the gun incidents.
The Grizzlies just didn’t want to you, or anybody else, to know.
“…Some warning signs emerged early in his pandemic-shortened rookie season,” a newly released ESPN report claims. “Team sources said there were concerns about how frequently Morant, underage and often accompanied by his father, would go out drinking, and at some of Memphis’ seedier establishments and strip clubs, including on nights before games.”
The report claims that Morant was the consummate professional prior to entering the league. But his behavior has slowly spiraled during his rise to NBA stardom.
“Throughout that 2021-22 season, during which Morant was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player, a pattern emerged whenever the Grizzlies traveled,” the report states. “After landing, a Sprinter Van would often be waiting at the team hotel to shuttle Morant out for the evening with friends and family, whom he had flown into that city on a private jet, according to team sources. Morant would cover their lodging and foot the bill at establishments they visited. In some instances, team sources said, it wasn’t unusual for Morant to appear hungover, or to be late to team events the next day.”
One source from the Grizzlies organization blamed the team for enabling Morant’s behavior.
“There was no discipline,” they told ESPN. “They felt like they could do anything they wanted. In my opinion, the enabling was out of control. Just constant. Definitely s— was swept under the rug.”
Morant’s play never suffered. In fact, he improved year over year. But it clearly became an issue away from the court.
Following an incident involving Morant, his personal security detail, and the Indiana Pacers’ security team, Grizzlies officially reportedly had a message for moring.
“You’re f—— up,” they told him.
Plenty of people have tried to get through to Morant. Here’s hoping the latest suspension finally does the job. Or a player who was a budding superstar could soon be out of the NBA altogether.