Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant recently received some advice from his friend, rapper Moneybagg Yo, about the issues the All-Star guard has faced regarding his personal conduct away from the court.
“He’s 23. I feel like it’s just a phase,” Moneybagg Yo told Complex. “When I was 23-24, I was just doing stuff, and people had to tell me — I had to bump my head and God had to [teach me a lesson]. I’m grateful to make it out [from] those situations. Some people don’t even shake back from certain situations.”
Morant was suspended from all team activities after a video showing the All-Star guard holding a gun in a social media video while riding in a car with friends went public earlier this month. This is the second time in three months Morant has been seen on social media with a gun.
Morant Bracing For A Suspension
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and executive vice president Joe Dumars have yet to announce a punishment. But it has been widely reported that a severe suspension is forthcoming once the new NBA calendar officially begins on July 1.
Morant is a father, son, brother and teammate. A lot of people depend on him in a variety of ways. His continued lack of judgment puts him and by extension the others that depend on him in bad positions.
He’s only 23 and the hope is that as he matures and deals with the pressures of sudden fame and wealth, he finds more constructive outlets for whatever is troubling him. Moneybagg Yo chooses to look at the situation positively.
“But, I feel like Ja probably don’t even know, like, what it is right now, like he probably don’t even believe this is life, you have those stages. Ja gonna snap out of it, and of course I gave him encouraging words. He was like, ‘I appreciate that big bro, I got you. I’m gonna get it right.’ “
It’s Not Easy Dealing With Fame And Riches
What the rapper said is very instructive. The vast majority of people in the world have no idea what it’s like to be Morant. A world-class athlete is one thing. But to have more money than you can spend in a lifetime coupled with fame is something else.
There is no handbook on how to deal with all that. There are examples of what to do and what not to do. But how many 23-year-olds regardless of economic status want to hear lessons from another adult?
At that age you feel and believe you’re grown. And to a certain extent you are. But your life experiences are limited to what they are.
Morant posted a series of since-deleted cryptic messages on Instagram live earlier this month and local authorities conducted a welfare check. It was reported he is “fine.”
It was also reported by local Memphis Grizzlies’ reporters that Morant stopped following childhood friend Davonte Pack on social media.
Pack is at the center of many of the instances involving Morant and guns.
