“Guns Aren’t Toys!”: Shaquille O’Neal Backs NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s Remarks on Ja Morant Suspension and Investigation

Akash Murty | 09/06/2023
“Guns Aren’t Toys!”: Shaquille O’Neal Backs NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s Remarks on Ja Morant Suspension and Investigation

Ja Morant got himself in deep trouble when he appeared to be flashing a gun on Instagram Live last month. The point guard might miss anywhere between 30–40 games for his second offense in two months. The Grizzlies have suspended him indefinitely from team activities, and the NBA is still investigating the case as we speak. Shaquille O’Neal, who previously has given his two cents on the matter, recently shared Adam Silver’s opinion on the same.

Silver, the NBA Commissioner, said after the incident that the 2x All-Star will be assessed for the repeated offense and the result will not be revealed before the end of the NBA Finals. However, he did discuss some of it during his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.

Shaquille O’Neal agrees with Adam Silver’s take on Ja Morant

Adam Silver explained to Dan Patrick, that while Ja Morant says he was flashing a toy gun, that doesn’t make any difference in his promotion of violence. The commissioner elaborated on how gun safety has been a big issue in the country for years.

“The very issue, for Ja, in the first incident, was to treat a gun like a toy,” Silver told Patrick when the veteran sportscaster asked whether it would matter if the gun wasn’t an actual gun, but a toy. “I think everyone agrees that gun safety is critically important and that guns aren’t toys.”

Shaquille O’Neal shared that post as a story on his Instagram.

NBA execs and legends of the game might side with strict punishment for Ja, but Nike won’t

There was some hesitance by the biggest sports apparel brand to release Ja 1s after his offense back in March. They even stopped the first-ever sneakers of their young endorser from being released on the official website.

However, they didn’t stop it from selling on Nike’s SNKRS app. In fact, just after the second incident, they even released another colorway. Kyrie Irving, who lost his deal with Nike, might just be grinding his teeth looking at this.

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam
Adam Silver Ja Morant NBA Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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