Not everybody thinks the NBA should come down hard on Ja Morant.
After being caught brandishing a gun in a video for the second time in two months, Jalen Rose estimated that Ja Morant may face a 25-30 game suspension. However, JJ Redick believes that is a ‘very severe’ punishment for the two-time All-Star.
On Sunday, the Grizzlies announced Morant was being suspended indefinitely after the 23-year-old appeared to flash a gun on Instagram Live.
Morant was associated with several gun-related incidents during the NBA season, leading to speculation that he might end up missing a good chunk of the 2023-2024 season.
Wednesday morning on First Take, Redick admitted Morant deserves a punishment, but questioned why the NBA superstar should be dealt with since nothing ever happens to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“Gun culture is pervasive,” Redick said. “We got mass shooting after mass shooting and no one is doing a damn thing about it. But there’s no consequence for Greg Abbott telling his constituents they should go buy more guns, and then we have mass shooting after mass shooting in Texas.
“Why are we trying to lay down the hammer on a 23-year-old who didn’t break a law? Explain that to me.”
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Morant has since issued an apology for his actions.
“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do,” Morant said in a statement. “My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
Based on Adam Silver’s interview with ESPN, the league will also hit Ja with harsh punishment—the 23-year-old was suspended for eight games after his first gun-related incident in March.
“He could have injured, maimed, killed himself, someone else, with an act like that,” Silver said in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “And also the acknowledgment that he’s a star. He has an incredibly huge following. And my concern — and I thought he shared with me — that millions if not tens of millions of kids globally would see him as having done something that was celebrating in a way that act of using a firearm in that fashion.”
Redick supported his argument by stating the season suspension handed to Gilbert Arenas for bringing a loaded gun into the Washington Wizards locker room during the 2009-10 season.
However, Arenas did it once and now Ja has been caught twice as well as his alleged behavior off the court that have also caused controversy.
