It took merely four games for Ja Morant to find himself under intense scrutiny again. During the dying seconds of the Memphis Grizzles-New Orleans Pelicans matchup on Tuesday night, Morant pulled off a unique celebration. Critics believed that the Grizzlies guard did a “gun celebration”. However, coming to the All-Star’s defence, Shaquille O’Neal, who was also a critic of Morant’s actions 29 weeks ago, highlighted a fan’s comments that revealed the true meaning behind Ja’s celebrations.
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Former NBA player Chandler Parsons was among the group of people who assumed that Ja Morant was doing the “gun celebration”. According to these critics, they believed that Morant didn’t learn anything while serving his 25-game suspension for brandishing firearms on an Instagram Live Video.
However, Shaquille O’Neal stood up for Morant. Putting an end to all controversies, a fan highlighted that Ja was merely doing a New Orleans dance, and not some “gun celebration”. Trying to amplify the fan’s justification for Morant’s actions, Shaq shared the Overtime post to his Instagram Story.
Ja Morant was found guilty of showing off his firearm in two instances. For the same, the Grizzlies star did own up to his actions and served a harsh 25-game suspension that the league slapped him with. However, Morant has constantly been on the butt end of all jokes on social media and often receives criticism that he might not deserve in the first place.
A few weeks ago, Morant attended the press conference before his comeback game where he was asked about players who improved when he was suspended. The Grizzlies star’s answer, “Who they said was better than me?” didn’t sit well with many of the fans and critics. However, he proved them wrong by making an insane comeback as Grizzlies are now 4-0 since his return.
It’s commendable to see Morant put up a brave face and continue dominating the league.
Shaquille O’Neal often reacted to the suspension that Ja Morant was slapped with
During Ja Morant’s suspension, Shaquille O’Neal took to Instagram to share his opinions on the same. Back in June, just a month after Morant was seen flashing his gun on the Instagram Live Video, O’Neal shared his initial take on the subject.
Taking it to his Story, 29 weeks ago, the Big Aristotle’s social media activity implied that he agreed with Adam Silver’s opinions on the delicate matter.
“The very issue, for Ja, in the first incident, was to treat a gun like a toy,” Silver said.
Right after the incident took place, Shaq even spoke about Morant needing to take responsibility for his doings. On an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, the TNT analyst parted Morant with the same advice that his mother taught him.
“I think he’s going to learn from his mistakes and he would understand that he has a responsibility. I remember my mother telling me one day, you have a responsibility to your organization, your obligation, and to all the children that look up to you,” Shaq said.
It’s still too early to comment on whether or not there’s been a change in Morant’s behaviour. However, the athletic guard picked up the new basketball season, in his return, right where he left it. Coming back stronger than before, the 2020 Rookie of the Year has averaged 28.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 8.5 assists to lead the Grizzlies to four consecutive wins.
