Ja Morant has quickly become the most polarizing player in the NBA, and one former champion has a message for the young star.
The NBA is a league of personalities. Even though fans weren’t thrilled, LeBron James and Kevin Durant starting their “villain arcs” by joining the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors were actually very good for the league as a whole, in terms of viewership and profits.
However, not every villain is good for the league. Ron Artest storming into the crowd during the Malice at the Palace was a stain that took years to remove.
Ja Morant is dangerously close to being in the second category.
Drafted second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019, injuries to Zion Williamson skyrocketed Morant’s fame, as he quickly became the best player in the draft class, as well as the most exciting. In his first four seasons, he made an All-NBA Team, two All-Star Games, and won Rookie of the Year.
However, injuries and gun-related antics both on and off the court have plummeted his reputation.
Morant has referenced hollow-point ammunition on social media in a direct threat to a fan, punched a teenager during a pickup game and returned with a pistol, pointed a laser sight (or at least a laser) at the Indiana Pacers’ team bus, and has flashed guns on social media multiple times.
More recently, he has come under fire for using a gun-shooting motion as a part of his celebrations, although such a gesture is common in the league, and most players can get away with it without a second thought.
However, Morant’s track record just keeps getting longer and longer, and suspensions have jeopardised both his career and his earnings.
“He’s different. That’s my guy, but Ja got to chill with all that ___,” said Vernon Maxwell on All The Smoke.
Maxwell says he knows Morant’s family has has great respect for him, and wants to pass on advice from his own experiences.
“You already got a reputation, come on Ja. This is Uncle Max talking to you. We got to change the narrative now.
“Now you are the villain, as who I was. You can embrace the villain part and be the villain but still keep the God-damn money in your God-damn pocket. I’m trying to tell you, save that ______ing money man. Save that money man, be more professional about what you are doing.”
During his college career, Maxwell received illegal payments. In the NBA, he punched a fan, quit the Houston Rockets, and got in a fight with teammate Gary Payton.
After his career, he was arrested twice. Once for a drug charge, and once for failing to pay child support. He has since declared bankruptcy and is in a position to issue warnings to Morant.
During his first three seasons, Morant turned Memphis from a 34-win team to a 56-win team, and the Grizzlies looked like a long-term contender in a talented Western Conference.
Morant’s athleticism, poster dunks, trash talk, and swagger made him ripe to be the next face of the league. He was–and is–a fixture of highlight shows and compilations, although Morant’s gun obsession has tarnished his reputation before he even entered his prime.
While his fall from grace is mostly the result of off-court antics stemming from his firearm hobby, the Grizzlies have simply been passed up in the standings by the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors.
Morant’s injuries have made him unreliable, and his inability to get Memphis past the second round despite regular-season success has kept him back from joining Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama as the faces of the next generation.
At only 25 years old, Morant is not beyond repair. However, the clock is ticking, and he needs to “change the narrative.”
