A few weeks ago the NBA was talking about an alleged incident where Ja Morant and associates had lasers trained on Pacers players after a game in Memphis in which things got heated on the court.
Associates of Ja Morant verbally accosted Pacers personnel and someone trained a red laser on them from a nearby SUV postgame on Jan. 29.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 5, 2023
“We felt we were in grave danger," a person who was present said.
The NBA investigated the incident.
More from @bkravitz and @sam_amick:
The Athletic reported on the incident saying that Pacers staff were fearful of the incident and that the NBA had investigated without actionable outcome. However that could soon be changing as more incidents continue to stack up against the young superstar who continues to find himself amidst countless allegations.
The newest allegations claim that Ja Morant repeatedly punched a 17-year-old minor and potentially flashed a gun at him.
Ja Morant was accused of punching a 17-year-old boy 12-13 times and flashing a gun at him during a pickup basketball game last summer, according to a police report obtained by @mollyhc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 1, 2023
Full story: https://t.co/NsRnhsIXlk pic.twitter.com/DH0utTt37V
Additionally, Morant is being accused of threatening a mall cop in a seperate incident besides the prior two.
⚡️ NBA superstar Ja Morant, 23, is accused of assaulting a teen and threatening a mall cop in separate incidents
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 1, 2023
The Memphis Grizzlies all-star was questioned for bothhttps://t.co/TFqz6mYWhK
And while it seems that the NBA has investigated all of the incidents, where there is smoke there is typically fire. While they might not all be true, as they continue to stack up, there is an increasing probability that some of them are true.
And that bodes well for the claims of the Pacers who were threatened on their way out of Memphis weeks ago. While it seemed like a farfetched story at the time, these new allegations are beginning to paint a much clearer picture of who Ja Morant is as a person.
The NBA should be intervening for player safety as well as prioritizing taking a stand against violence.
Oftentimes the NBA seems to be slow to react to incidents similar to these, but this time it needs to act quickly and harshly. These types of incidents create a culture of fear for teams coming into Memphis not because of their play on the court, but because players are fearful of retaliation from Ja Morant and his associates.
The NBA needs to prioritize the player and staff safety over the monetary gains of a budding superstar. If they don’t, they may soon be regretting their decision.
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