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ESPN pundit Michael Wilbon says he won’t allow his son to buy Ja Morant’s signature Nike shoe after the Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended over the weekend for appearing to flash a gun in a video online.
Morant, who was suspended for the second time this season over a similar incident, was seen flashing a gun in a video on Instagram Live on Saturday night.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) handles the ball against Portland Trail Blazers guard Skylar Mays (8) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
"This is up to Ja. This is up to him," Wilbon said during Sunday’s broadcast of "NBA Countdown."
GRIZZLIES' JA MORANT APPEARS TO FLASH GUN ON LIVESTREAM, SUSPENDED FROM TEAM ACTIVITIES
"There are people who could be around him who are going to have to help lead him out of this. We hear about four or five days or eight days or whatever at some facility in Florida, that’s a joke. That’s PR," Wilbon said of Morant checking himself into a clinic for stress management following his suspension in March.
"And so you could try to PR your way out of this through other social media forms and all of that. But the question is, is he going to do the work that is required of himself to get out of this and for this not to be the end?"
Dillon Brooks #24 of the Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers of Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Wilbon continued, "Because what’s going to happen now? Nike going to pull that shoe? Is Powerade going to pull that drink? I know in my house, I told Matthew, ‘You can’t have the shoe. I’m not buying that shoe. You’re not buying that shoe. Our money as a family is not going toward that.’ And so I’m not the only one who’s going to feel that way."
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The Grizzlies released a statement Sunday in which they announced that Morant would be suspended for an undisclosed period of time pending a "league review."
This comes less than three months after the 23-year-old star was hit with an eight-game suspension after he went on his own Instagram Live and appeared to brandish a gun at a Denver nightclub.
He also forfeited $669,000 in salary as a result.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies brings the ball up court during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum on December 31, 2022, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
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"He’s so smart, we talk about intelligence, you listen to Ja Morant post-game, I mean, the engagement level and the intellect are unmistakable," Wilbon added. "But yet, this whole fake gangster theme that I thought we were past as a culture some years ago – I guess he’s not past it, he and his. And it’s just, it’s sad. It’s sad."
Morant’s first signature shoe with Nike was unveiled in December. The shoes were set to be released on April 1, but according to Sports Illustrated, the date was pushed back by a couple of weeks.
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