Chris Paul is sympathetic of Ja Morant after the Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended by the NBA due to his second IG Live gun scandal.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the league slapped Morant with a 25-game suspension as a result of his actions. For those who missed it, Morant appeared to flash a gun during an IG Live with a friend early in May, prompting several backlash and criticisms from fans and experts alike. Morant had already been suspended during the 2022-23 season because of a similar incident when he brandished a gun at a nightclub, but it was clear he didn’t learn his lesson.
Paul, however, showed some understanding for Morant and suggested that it’s part of the growing pains where a young star tries to navigate the pressure of being under the spotlight while maturing as a person.
“It’s so crazy, because I’m a big Ja fan. Ja came to my basketball camp when he was in college. He came in the camp, nobody really knew who he was like that. And after camp, everybody knew who he was. That’s when he blew up, and all the NBA scouts,” Paul said in a recent appearance on The Shop.
“What I’ll say about Ja, just me being in the league and my position as president of the union for so long, is that everything that you guys said is so real. But it happens so fast.”
Several critics are not happy with the NBA’s decision to only give Ja Morant a 25-game suspension, with many arguing that it should have been more. Nonetheless, there’s nothing more they could do about that.
Hopefully though, as Chris Paul suggested, Morant now has a better understanding of his status and influence in the NBA after his latest controversies. He is one of the faces of the league, and as someone who has that much power to impact the youth, he really needs to be a better role model.
The post Chris Paul drops eye-opening take on Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s gun scandal appeared first on ClutchPoints.
What do you want to ask or share?