Shaquille O’Neal joined in with other NBA analysts and ex-players in criticizing Ja Morant for his actions at a strip club following a loss in Denver.
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Ja has been at the center of a particularly distasteful scandal recently. The 2022 All-NBA Second Team selection filmed himself at Shotgun Willie’s in Glendale in the presence of strippers while holding what appeared to be a gun in his hand.
It was surmised that Morant would be apprehended by the cops for his actions in holding a gun in public while seeming to be drunk. The police released a statement, however, that they couldn’t find evidence of him taking drinks before filming himself, which would’ve made it a felony.
Nevertheless, Ja was suspended by the Grizzlies for 2 games this past week. Powerade, who’d signed him as their first athlete endorser in years, also took down a commercial featuring him shared on their Instagram handle.
Ja was supposed to be the new face of Nike’s basketball shoe line. His signature shoes are set to release later this year. Morant is also signed to a $231 million extension after next season.
Also Read – Why is Ja Morant Out Indefinitely: Taylor Jenkins’ Statement Comes as Huge Worry for Grizzlies Fans
Shaquille O’Neal speaks his mind on the Ja Morant Gun Incident
Shaquille O’Neal sat down with Nischelle Turner and Spice Adams for the latest edition of The Big Podcast. In this first episode after his 51st birthday, they devoted a big chunk to the Ja Morant incident in a Glendale strip club.
O’Neal was quite level-headed, yet stringent, in how he spoke about Morant’s actions. He pinned the blame squarely on the 23-year-old and explained why he’s so disappointed with Ja:
“If you could’ve carried a gun and you’ve been doing it for years and nobody catches you, nobody knows. But when you pull your phone out, swipe, click, swipe again, hit that button, wait for the connection, it’s your fault.”
“You’ve got people talking about he made a mistake – Nah! He made a choice. He made a bad choice. I tell my kids all the time, ‘Sorry I made a mistake’, no you didn’t. You made a choice.”
“Because common sense will tell you ‘Nah, I don’t need to have a gun. I’m $230 million in. I don’t need to be having no gun, I’m a role model.’ Lemme do the right thing.”
Shaq also spoke about how NBA rookies are guided through the morality clauses in their contracts. He explained why players need to be more aware of gun laws when traveling to different places.
Also Read – Ja Morant Shoes Release Date: When Will The Ja 1s Drop And For How Much?
When will Ja return to NBA action?
NBA insider Shams Charania reports that Ja will be out of action for the Grizzlies for at least 4 more games after serving his first 2-game suspension over the past week.
The Grizzlies’ season had already ground to a halt by that time, but in his absence, their offense is likely to suffer even more in shotmaking. Their frontcourt has been stretched especially thin due to injuries suffered by Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke.
Morant could not have picked a worse timing for flashing a gun on Instagram Live, in his team’s view.
