While ESPN is busy making sure “white America” doesn’t use the JaMorant gun video to stigmatize the black community, TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal gave the 23-year-old Grizzlies superstar a much-needed reality check by telling the youngster that he is “not a rapper.”
Morant went viral over the weekend after he posted a video of himself displaying a firearm at a strip club.
As a result, Morant is receiving therapy while police in Colorado – where the strip club is located – investigate the incident.
On Tuesday night’s edition of the NBA on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal broke with the rest of the sports media and declined to make race any issue. Instead, he held Morant accountable.
“It was a bad choice,” O’Neal said during the NBA on TNT. “It was a bad decision… We have to stop putting ourselves to where they can take away where we’ve worked so hard to get to. You should always believe in a higher power. I’ve always had the ability to stop time and say, ‘If I do this, what’s going to be the outcome?’
“There is no excuse for what he did — but remember, he pressed the button on his phone. He went live. If you don’t go live, nobody knows he has the weapon and we’re not talking about this, but he did that.
“Why are you in the strip club with no shirt? Why are you walking around with a weapon? And why did you hit the live button?”
Ja Morant, #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at FedExForum on February 28, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
O’Neal stressed the importance of Morant’s family and how the player needs to think of a “higher power.”
“I’ve seen your videos where your dad… he’s training you and your brothers,” O’Neal said. “I’ve also seen the video of your mom and dad, they got the nice mansion next door to you. That’s where we’re trying to get to, and once we get there, we know the letter of the law. We know what not to do, what not to say and we know common sense.
“Think of a higher power. I feel for him now, but I also feel for his mother and father. What are they going through? Before you make a dumb decision, not a mistake, a dumb decision, a dumb choice, think of a higher power — your mother, your father, your children. I’m not going to jump on the kid. He knows what he did was wrong, but remember, he put himself in the position. He didn’t have to go live.
Ja Morant, #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, brings the ball upcourt during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at FedExForum on February 28, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
“To go live you gotta pick your phone up, swipe the phone to go on Instagram, get on Instagram, swipe again, hit the live button, wait for it to connect… you gotta have enough common sense to know that wasn’t going to go the way you wanted it to go. You’re not a rapper, you’re an NBA player. I don’t know where you’re from. I don’t know who’s hanging around with you. That don’t matter. When it’s you making the decision, you’ve got to be smart.
“Now, forget all the investigation. I don’t like to hear, ‘what’s Nike going to do? What’s the other company going to do? … You don’t want to see a young kid like him lose that money… Remember, this is a decision… so he did it to himself. I’m not going to jump on him. He has to deal with what’s coming, and I know he has a lot of support around him.”
Morant issued a statement on Saturday taking responsibility for the gun video.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Shockingly, the Grizzlies have not yet suspended Morant for the video. Instead, head coach Taylor Jenkins says the organization has opted to regard the matter as “internal business.”
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