Former NBA playerKenny Smithvoiced his opinion on the currentJa Morantsituation. As fans will certainly be aware, theMemphis Grizzlies starhas been suspended pending a league review after flashing a gun on social media. This is not the first time he has done so and has started building a negative reputation for himself.
Some fans might be familiar with Kenny since he is part of the Inside the NBA crew alongsideShaquille O Nealand Charles Barkley. On that platform, he shared his take on Ja and the events that have transpired. He started off by chastising Morant and claiming that Ja could be the problem as opposed to his friends. Then Kenny got to the crux of his statement.
Ja Morant is just at a point in his life where he has to make a decision Am I going to be holding myself accountable to a higher standard? and if he chooses to do that, he can move on because he hasn t hurt anyone to this point yet. He has only looked foolish, that s his only crime right now Being foolish and possibly influencing NBA followers.
At some point, it s not your friends. It s you.
Kenny shares his thoughts on Ja Morant pic.twitter.com/GRC5qKYcrT
NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 18, 2023
Kenny concluded that Morant s behavior would likely garner attention from people who would want to test how tough he actually was. Now, let us take a look at what Shaquille O Neal has said about Ja Morant.
Shaquille O Neal reminds Ja Morant about written and unwritten laws
Much like his colleague Kenny Smith, Shaq also opined that Ja was in the wrong and should take some responsibility for his actions. There are a lot of people defending Morant despite his behavior. That is because he really hasn t done anything illegal so far. Nonetheless, O Neal reminded him that he bore a responsibility to society and should behave accordingly.
We can t do things to put ourselves in jeopardy there s a difference between a mistake and a choice His friend made a choice the second time to hit the Live button. (Morant) saw the camera in his face, and he made the choice not thinking. He has to understand that there are written laws and unwritten laws .You re in a billion-dollar corporation now, you can t do that And you ve got kids looking up to you, brother. Kids want to be like you. You have a responsibility.
Both Shaq and Kenny certainly seem to be making valid points. Ja now bears the responsibility of being an influential figure. One for many young children at that. Therefore, his engaging in this type of behavior is not good for him or his fan base. We hope that these messages from well-known figures in the basketball community prompt Morant to change and redeem himself.
