The United States has been plagued by gang violence and the culture surrounding it. This has led to many youngsters getting influenced by the same and diverting their lives to this path. In conversation with Draymond Green, on his podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show’, Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce touched upon this while briefly advising young players like Ja Morant, who have previously been in trouble for embracing the gang culture as part of their public image.
Advertisement
Pierce grew up in Inglewood, California, an area known for the influence of the Crips and Bloods gangs dominating the streets. The Celtics star also had his fair share of influence of this culture on himself during his early days. However, he chose to stay away from it to focus on his basketball career. Pierce believes that this influence has been ingrained into the basketball culture.
Thankfully, he was surrounded by people who positively influenced him during his childhood, looked out for him, and advised him to stay away from certain neighborhoods. He added that the gang affiliations that some players grow up around tend to stay with them even after they move for a better livelihood by seeking a professional NBA career. Speaking on that note, the Truth said,
“You got to keep a distance on what to do and what not to do. Because then we make it to the NBA, Dray, and you still have some of these ties. But you gotta grow up at some point.”
Pierce tried referencing the Ja Morant case, wherein the Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended for 25 games this season for flashing a gun on his Instagram Live. He blamed the negative influence around the young guard and his surroundings, which might have influenced the Memphis guard’s erratic behavior. As a piece of advice to Morant and other young NBA players, Pierce asked them to navigate their pathways wisely and get themselves out of the hood to create a better future for themselves.
Additionally, Paul Pierce might be the best person to advise young players, given that he has faced equal challenges with suspensions both during and after his playing career.
He was fired from his role as an ESPN analyst in 2021, after his infamous Instagram Live, where he was seen partying at a poker table with women dressed in bikinis dancing around him, all while he consumed alcohol and smoked marijuana. However, over the years, Pierce has denied doing anything wrong to get fired from ESPN due to his actions.
Charles Barkley had a similar message for Ja Morant after his suspension
Ja Morant has been surrounded by many controversies, off the court, throughout his NBA career. Before his recent 25-game suspension for flashing a gun, Morant was previously suspended in early 2023, for confronting and threatening an Indiana Pacers traveling party with a gun. With two such controversies embroiling the young star within months, many NBA veterans and experts were concerned about the influence surrounding Morant, which might have forced his certain actions.
NBA legend and TNT analyst Charles Barkley also had a resounding message for Ja Morant, advising the player to focus on his basketball career. According to CNN, Barkley compared the job of a basketball player to the ones who do ‘real’ jobs, earning much lower salaries than an NBA star.
“[The] kid is getting paid close to $100 million and the only thing you have to do is don’t be a fool. Just play basketball. Ain‘t like it’s a real job,” Barkley angrily remarked on this incident. Adding to his statement, Chuck said, “All you have to do is dribble a stupid basketball and stay out of trouble.”
Perhaps all the advice and counseling from the NBA greats and veterans helped Ja Morant come back strong into the league this season. However, the Memphis star is currently out for the season after suffering a labral tear in his right shoulder in a game last December.
