Memphis Grizzlies NBA star Ja Morant was spotted with a gun again during an Instagram live. Already sanctioned in March, he faces potentially disastrous consequences.
He didn’t learn the lesson. Sanctioned by an eight-game suspension last March for brandishing a firearm in a strip club, Ja Morant, NBA player from Memphis, did it again overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Enough to imagine much heavier sanctions against him.
A stealth plan
In a live Instagram (a video broadcast live), we can thus see the American in a car, Hip-hop thoroughly, having fun and singing with a friend. Initially, he is empty-handed, but seconds later a stealth shot shows him with an automatic weapon. The video changes the angle of view very quickly, but too late.
Immediate consequence, his club suspended him, for an indefinite period, as we learned this Sunday. Since the club’s season is already – and prematurely – over, the player will not be allowed to participate in the Grizzlies’ off-season activities. A wage penalty should also follow.
At the time of the first facts, just two months ago, Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, had called his conduct “irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous”. And after receiving him in New York at the NBA offices, Silver had forgiven him. “Ja also made it clear to me that he learned the lessons from this incident and that he understood that his obligations and responsibility to the Grizzlies and the whole community went far beyond his game on the field. “, he had indicated.
Above all, after a stint in psychological assistance and a loss of 668,659 dollars in salary, Ja Morant had still received the precious support of his sponsor Nike, who had withheld his apologies. Conversely, Powerade, the energy drink brand had paused its advertising campaign with the player.
A shoe model under threat?
Will this new exit from the road by Morant have strong consequences with Nike this time around? The American brand could decide to simply let go of the player who has just seen the Ja 1 released: the first signature basketball shoe in his name… in collaboration with Nike.
A very rare honor since only a few superstars have had or have this opportunity: we can mention, of course, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and… Kyrie Irving. (Other well-known players such as Michael Jordan are at Jordan Brand, a subsidiary of Nike)
But the latter could well serve as an example in the Ja Morant affair. This season, the comma brand has stopped its collaboration with the playmaker, after months of controversy. On October 27, the Dallas player, who was playing in Brooklyn at the time of the events, posted on his Instagram and Twitter accounts the poster for “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” and links to the Amazon site allowing to rent or buy this anti-Semitic film containing, among other things, a quote attributed to Adolf Hitler and denying the reality of the Holocaust.
The case of rapper Kanye West, ousted by Adidas in October after a financially successful collaboration for almost eight years, could also weigh in on Nike’s decision. The American brand will, in any case, find it difficult to keep a talented but increasingly infrequent player in its stable.
2023-05-14 17:45:38
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