Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant is losing over $650,000 in pay as a result of an eight game suspension for allegedly displaying a firearm at a strip club in Denver.
FOX Sports reported the incident allegedly occurred on March 4, 2023, with the NBA finding Morant was seen “holding a firearm in an intoxicated state.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver commented on Morant’s actions, saying, “Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous. It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”
Morant’s served his sixth game on suspension Wednesday night, as the Grizzlies played the Miami Heat. He will be eligible to play again on Monday, when the Grizzlies play the Dallas Mavericks.
On March 6, 2023, the Associated Press noted that Morant would not face charges over the firearm incident.
On March 8, 2023, Breitbart News pointed out that former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal spoke to the gun incident, warning Morant needs to learn he is “not a rapper.”
Speaking during NBC on TNT, O’Neal said, “It was a bad choice. 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?’”
O’Neal added, “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?”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.