17 August 2023
Ja Morant’s latest line of Nike sneakers, the red, blue and black “Ja 1 Hunger,” sold out within 20 minutes of its release. Basketball players get sneaker deals when they’re top-shelf NBA talent, and the 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies point guard is one of the league’s most dazzling stars. He’s a two-time All-Star who has led his team to three playoff appearances.
Off the court, however, Morant is a veritable train wreck.
In March, Morant livestreamed a video on Instagram in which he grinningly brandished a firearm at a nightclub outside Denver after a game. The NBA punished him with an eight-game suspension for that behavior. Morant apologized for his recklessness and said he was seeking treatment to better deal with stress.
Just how sincere was that apology? In May, Morant appeared in another livestream video on Instagram, this time seated in the passenger seat of a car and flashing a gun while his friend filmed him. Again, Morant apologized. This time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hit Morant with a 25-game suspension.
Morant, who is slated to earn roughly $33.5 million this season, will lose about $7.5 million if the suspension survives a challenge from the NBA’s players union. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning,” Silver said. “Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
We wholeheartedly agree with Silver, though we think Morant should miss more than a third of the season, given just how grave America’s struggle with gun violence has become.
Mass shootings are now routine headlines. Highland Park, Nashville, Uvalde, Texas, and so many other communities are no longer just geographic names — they evoke memories of mass carnage. In the Chicago region, it seems as if no week goes by without an instance of gun violence that claims multiple victims.
Early Sunday in the west suburb of Willowbrook, gunfire erupted at a Juneteenth celebration in ashopping center parking lot; one person was shot to death and 22 others were injured. Early Saturday, five people were shot near Lincoln Park Zoo when an argument broke out and someone responded with gunfire. Four of the victims were listed in critical condition as of Tuesday. Fatal shootings also happened in Austin, Roseland, East Garfield Park, Ashburn and other West and South side neighborhoods.
The country’s gun violence dilemma inextricably intersects with its armed-to-the-teeth gun culture. To its credit, the NBA for several years has sought to raise awareness about gun violence, relying on star players to take part in public service ads about the problem. After the school shooting in Uvalde, NBA teams that had reached the playoffs last year displayed messages in arenas that urged Americans to ask their lawmakers for common sense gun safety legislation.
As an NBA superstar, Morant could have been, and should be, part of that league effort. Instead he chose the opposite path — twice. His stardom gives him an ideal platform from which to connect with youths confronted by a world awash with guns. And it’s clear fans both young and old pay attention to him — his No. 12 Grizzlies’ jersey is among the NBA’s best selling jerseys, and he has a combined 12 million-plus followers on Twitter and Instagram.
But like far too many superstar athletes thrust into a stratosphere of nine-digit contracts (in 2022, Morant signed a five-year, $193 million contract extension), Morant lost his bearings and made terrible judgments.
The sports world has been here before. The NFL has had more than its share of star players who commit domestic violence or perpetrate other egregious behavior; we were deeply troubled not just by allegations of sexual misconduct levied against star quarterback Deshaun Watson, but by the lenient 11-game suspension he received for his actions.
In such cases, league officials and team owners are enablers much more than they are problem solvers. The reason is obvious. Too often, the people at the wheel in professional sports are guided by one motive — cash flow. Consequently, superstars who behave recklessly usually get kid gloves treatment from their teams and league commissioners. The same can be said of the myriad corporations that fete star athletes with multimillion dollar endorsement contracts.
In the case of Morant, Nike has made it clear the sports gear giant stands by his side, just as it did after the March video surfaced. “We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being,” the company said in a disappointing statement released last week. “We will continue to support him on and off the court.” If Nike really wanted to support Morant, it would show him some tough love, and cut the cord on its relationship with him. Given the popularity of Ja Morant gear, that’s about as likely as a Bulls return to the NBA Finals next season.
Ultimately, whether Morant changes his ways is up to Ja Morant. We hope he realizes that achievement in sports is defined not just by physical prowess and skill, nor by triple-doubles and soaring dunks. Off-the-court behavior matters. A new, impressionable generation is watching, and taking cues.
Along with his 25-game suspension, Morant will have to “fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior,” Silver said.
That program should require Morant to meet with parents of gun violence victims, perhaps a survivor of street gang crossfire or a mother of a toddler killed by a stray bullet on a porch. That might wake him up.
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