It is always tough to earn forgiveness. For Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, it is going to be extremely tough for him to prove that he has learned from his recent mistakes. However, it is not impossible for him to do so.
While he is one of the best players in the league on the court, Morant has struggled with staying out of trouble off the court. Originally suspended eight games in March for flashing a gun during a live video in a Colorado strip club, Morant was then seen flashing a gun while live on social media once again not even two months later.
This led to the Grizzlies suspending him indefinitely from all team activities until the league conducted their review of the situation. Shortly after the conclusion of the NBA Finals, it was announced that Morant would serve a 25-game suspension to begin the 2023-24 season, a suspension that contains conditions and stipulations for him to meet in order to return to games and team activities.
A lot has been said about Morant and his character at just 23 years old. While some don't believe the young star is apologetic for his actions and will not change, there are others who are backing Morant and looking to help guide him on the path to success.
Former NBA stars supporting Ja Morant
Grizzlies legend Zach Randolph is one of those looking to uplift the former Rookie of the Year. Randolph recently revealed to The Commercial Appeal that he spoke with Ja earlier this summer. As far as Morant rebuilding his image and once again finding success in Memphis, Randolph has no doubts that the Grizzlies star will bounce back.
“Ja is going to be OK,” Randolph said. “I talked to him earlier this summer. He’s all right. I think he’s going to learn from his mistake. He’s going to be all right.”
Randolph is not the only former NBA player to speak out regarding Morant's status, as Gilbert Arenas and Kevin Garnett have also offered their support and advice to the Grizzlies All-Star. While Arenas claimed Morant's punishment is “too harsh” and the league is making an example out of him, Garnett has stated in the past that the league as a whole should learn from this moment.
“This is when I think the league needs the big brother, big sister program right here,” Garnett said back in May. “This is what I think the fraternities and sororities are for, real s**t… Everyone wants to take it back once it's done, you know what I'm saying? And he has the luxury of being able to survive this, but more importantly, I don't think he's thinking about what he is.”
Even though he is not condoning Morant's actions, the NBA Hall of Famer is a big believer in the league forming some type of mentorship and counseling program for veteran players to take young stars like Morant under their wing and teach them about life and the pressure they will face as a professional athlete. There is no telling if this would have helped what happened this year, but moving forward, it could potentially help prevent future players from making poor life decisions.
Where Ja Morant goes from here
While he is only suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season, there is really no telling as to when Ja Morant will return to the Grizzlies. He is not allowed to be with or practice with the team during his suspension. As mentioned previously, the league has a list of criteria Morant must meet before he is eligible to return. What he has to do in order to return to the court and his team has not been released.
These next few months are going to prove to be extremely important for Morant. While we all know what he is capable of doing on the basketball court, there is really no way for anyone to trust him off the court right now.
After apologizing and claiming it would never happen again following his first gun incident in the Colorado nightclub, Morant went back on his word and was seen on live video flashing his gun at the camera. His actions have been very reckless, they've been careless and, most importantly, they've been extremely dangerous from a physical and mental approach.
Obviously the gun could go off at any time and severely injure his friends or himself, but the damage this image and situation has on Morant's young fans can be drastic. Turning 24 in August, Morant is one of the young faces of the NBA and is a player a lot of NBA fans idolize.
Even though Gilbert Arenas was a great basketball player on the court during the prime of his career, he will always be remembered as a player who had gun problems. Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was a terrific football player and was at the peak of his career in 2007 when he helped the Giants win the Super Bowl. Then he shot himself in 2008 while at a nightclub in New York City, resulting in him being suspended and eventually thrown in jail for two years.
There are so many other instances one could point to in professional sports of players dealing with poor decisions off the field or court, ultimately resulting in their careers declining.
Is this how Morant wants to be remembered and see his career go down a similar path?
Life is bigger than basketball or football or whatever sport an athlete may play. Gun violence is a serious problem in our world today. For Morant's sake, he has a lot more on the line than an illustrious career, as he is also the father to a beautiful three-year-old daughter.
Morant made a mistake in March and then made the same mistake again in May. Morant must prove he won't make the same mistake for a third time, but he is a smart, young man who is more than capable of stepping up and being the leader he was destined to be for the Grizzlies.
Time will tell if Morant has truly learned a valuable lesson in life and if he is ready to put the drama that has ensued from his wrongdoings behind him.
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