NBA superstar Ja Morant’s life was easy, and now he is on the cusp of throwing it all away. All because he is chasing an image that is not him, or maybe, this is who he is.
Imagine winning the lottery at birth. Imagine growing up in a two parent household. Imagine a life where you’re afforded the best education possible and having the ability to pursue whatever dreams you want with no hindrances to succeed.
Perception is reality. Whether he realizes it or not — Ja Morant is a role model. It’s 2023, Athletes, whether they like it or not, must set a better standard for the fans that follow them. With social media outlets like Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok, impressionable youths have the most access to their favorite player ever.
Ja was suspended for two games after he posted a video of himself brandishing a gun in a nightclub while singing lyrics to an NBA Youngboy song. The NBA is now investigating him, and there’s no telling when he will return.
Ja’s foolishly timed Instagram video comes amidst allegations against him last summer of punching a 17-year old teen after a pickup basketball game and flashed a gun at the accuser.
Since then, Morant has apologized, taking full responsibility for his actions and said he is going to “work on better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Morant’s recent actions call to mind Javaris Crittenton, a highly talented college player and former NBA professional, playing for the most storied franchise in the league, the Los Angeles Lakers. Crintenton had a bright future ahead of him but it was cut short when he became involved in gang activity, drug trafficking, and murder charges and more famously bringing guns into the locker room.
Crittenton is now serving a 23-year sentence for the murder of a mother of four.
Morant has not committed murder; however, he’s starting to be involved in on, and off, the court incidents. Recently Morant caught flack for his friends riding in an SUV that aimed a laser possibly attached to a gun at the Indiana Pacers team bus. Morant himself threatened the head of security at a mall in Memphis and engaged in a verbal altercation during a game with NFL hall of famer Shannon Sharpe.
Why is Morant, a superstar talent and franchise player with a $200 million contract, acting in this manner? He secured a multi-year Nike shoe deal. He’s a Powerade athlete and a potential face of the league for years to come.
Who is to blame for his actions?
Let’s try to think deeper.
I’m not a psychologist. If I were, I’d attribute his actions to the cultural media he consumes, unedifying rap music and stereotypical Black media entertainment that never fails to depict Black characters in a constantly negative light either through gang violence, drug empires or victims with no hope, relying on a handout from others.
Think of what Black youths consume nowadays through social media and the television and music that is made.
Ja doesn’t realize the position he is in.
“To whom much is given, much is required” - Luke 12:48
Whether he likes it or not, Ja is a role model for youth worldwide, specifically in America. He’s a light for the underprivileged. He’s an example to children in impoverished situations, waiting for an opportunity to make a difference for their family through sports or another outlet.
Ja needs to do better, and I hope he can see the error of his ways, and correct them before it’s too late.
The last thing I want to see is another talented Black man fall and quite frankly, it’s sad.
Ja was raised in a stable picturesque suburban home. It was the Black American dream — a middle-class family with married, college-educated parents. He grew up with an active father in the house to set an example for his son, an opportunity many Black children in America don’t have.
Ja played for one of the premiere teams in AAU basketball — the South Carolina Hornets. He was fortunate enough to be noticed by assistant coach James Kane of Murray State, who stumbled upon him at a tournament.
Ja was gifted with athletic talents and a robust personality to match them, making him an extremely marketable athlete whom major companies like Nike, Gatorade, State Farm and so many others fawn over.
It begs the question: Where is Ja’s father, Tee, amidst everything happening now? Now would be the best time to pull your son aside and guide him before he makes a huge mistake.
A friend recently compared Ja to “Papa Doc,” played by Anthony Mackie from the 2002 film “8 Mile.” Doc is a gang leader of “Tha Free World” and threatens with violence and guns. All the while, Papa Doc was living a double life.
“What’s the matter, dawg? You embarrassed? This guy’s a gangster? His real name’s Clarence; and Clarence lives at home with both parents. And Clarence’s parents have a real good marriage,” said B-Rabbit, played by rapper Eminem.
All jokes aside, I was blessed with privileges similar to Ja. My parents, who are celebrating their 31st anniversary on March 15, have been present in the lives of my brothers and I since birth.
They have always provided for us and raised us to be contributors to society. We had the privilege of going to phenomenal schools and pursuing the interests that we have always wanted.
I do not take it for granted, especially knowing friends from broken families with fewer opportunities to make it out of their circumstances.
Ja may be doing this unknowingly, but he’s spitting on the faces of Black Americans who are trying to break the age-old narrative of young, Black men who are labeled as “thugs,” prone to violence and crime.
He’s playing into the stereotype that the media has put on Black Americans for years.
My message to Morant is this: Get it together, because the 23 years of work you’ve put in can disappear in the blink of an eye.