Ja Morant raps NBA Youngboy lyrics word-for-word on his first day back and it made the NBA world questioned if he has learned from his mistakes. He returned from his eight-game suspension on March 20 that was handed down to him from NBA commissioner Adam Silver on March 15 for conduct detrimental, a ban that included the games he already missed.
Though he didn’t play, he was greeted with a standing ovation from the Memphis home crowd as he entered the arena.
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins stated that their young superstar point guard could possibly return to the lineup on Wednesday.
“Reception was great. Everyone welcomed him with open arms, excited to have him back. He addressed the team, addressed his teammates and the staff,” said Jenkins after Monday’s shootaround. “Got a play group in earlier today, part of the ramp-up process that we talked about. So he’s got that under his belt, he’s going to be part of practice tomorrow and then obviously we’re hopeful for Wednesday so long as everything medically clears out.”
Morant showed signs of his normal cheerful behavior as he celebrated with his teammates during timeouts, but his actions after the game are what have everyone talking.
“It’s a parade inside my city, yeahhhh,” said Morant during the interview he interrupted of teammate Santi Aldama on Monday night.
The lyric is from the song “Fresh Prince of Utah.” Aldama also knew the lyric to the song and repeated it with Morant. It made fans wonder if the young superstar has learned his lesson.
One fan wrote, “Those 12 hours of counseling really worked lol.”
Patrick Beverley and Rapper Ja Rule recently criticized the music that Morant listens too.
Veteran sports journalist Skip Bayless took it a step further and suggested that Morant is trying to live the rap lyrics through his real life.
“If you go back and look at [NBA Youngboy’s] recent past, he’s been in jail several times for robbery and attempted murder and all kinds of assault charges, so he fits the part of the song, he’s actually playing the role of the song. It’s not the best look to quote that rap lyric just as you’re coming back from dangling a gun. In a vacuum, it’s the smallest deal. In context, it’s a reasonably big deal, to me,” said Bayless on his Fox show “Undisputed.”
Ja’s Response
On Tuesday, Morant spoke about his experience at the treatment facility he attended in Florida and how he has dealt with the last few weeks.
“Obviously, took that time to better myself, get in a better space mentally,” Morant told reporters. “It’s an ongoing process, a continued process for me. Obviously, I’ve been there for two weeks, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely better. So that’s an ongoing process for me that I’ve still been continuing since I’ve come out.”
He also told reporters that he doesn’t have an alcohol problem and he went to the treatment facility for counseling.
“I went (to Florida) to counseling to learn how to manage stress. Cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I’ve tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes.”
Morant added that he noticed his stress levels had become a problem the days leading up to the Denver strip club incident and he was afraid to leave the team.
“Obviously, I’ve made mistakes in the past that cause a lot of negative attention – not only to me, but my family as well, my team, the organization – and I’m completely sorry for that,” Morant said. “So my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible, more smarter and don’t cause any of that no more.”
According to ESPN, the suspension cost Morant $669,000 in salary.
