They say the best kind of awareness is self-awareness. Unfortunately, it would appear Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is missing that.
Morant made headlines this week after accusations emerged that he punched a teen “12 to 13 times” during a basic basketball game at his house last summer, just four days after he assaulted a mall security guard. According to the teen, Morant then went into his house and re-emerged with “a gun visible in the waistband of his pants and his hand on the weapon.”
Amid that backdrop, Morant celebrated a 3-point shot made by teammate Desmond Bane on Thursday by mimicking the firing of a gun with his hand.
Nah this Ja Morant celebration is crazypic.twitter.com/7sDeu6E3zY
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 2, 2023
In Morant’s version of the story, he says he was acting in self-defense. The NBA star filed a police report after the confrontation in which he claimed that the teens said he would return to his house and “light this place up like fireworks.”
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on February 23, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Morant’s agent emphasized that the incident with the teen was investigated, and police declined to charge his client.
“Any and every allegation involving a firearm has been fully investigated and could not be corroborated,” Morant’s agent Jim Tanner said. “This includes the NBA investigation last month, in which they found no evidence.
“Again, after this was fully investigated by law enforcement, they came to the decision not to charge Ja with any crime.”