State Champ Radio Ja Morant
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Looks like embattled NBA superstar Ja Morant has just dodged another legal bullet as a judge has ruled in his favor in a case involving a physical altercation with a teenager during a pickup game in 2022.
According to TMZ, Ja Morant was handed a legal win when the judge overseeing a case where Morant was accused of putting hands on a then-17-year-old Joshua Holloway ruled that Morant was actually acting in self-defense when he hit Holloway when the two got into a scuffle on the court in Morant’s Eads, Tennessee, home. While many assumed this was another incident demonstrating Morant’s descent into the “thug” lifestyle he was seemingly embracing at the time, the judge felt Morant was justified in his actions, hence, handing the NBA player a victory in the case brought to him by the then-minor.
TMZ reports:
Joshua Holloway, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, sued Morant back in Sept. 2022, alleging the Grizzlies point guard roughed him up while the two were competing on a basketball court at Ja’s Eads, Tenn. home.
Holloway claimed that during an in-game argument, he threw a ball at Morant and accidentally hit him in the face. He alleged Morant then became enraged, and socked him with a closed fist.
Morant, however, later argued he was acting in self-defense … explaining during December court proceedings that he was simply trying to protect himself from harm.
Luckily for Ja, the Shelby County judge judge felt the same way and said as much in his 44-page ruling. The case will move forward with the trial set to get underway later this month, but with this ruling it seems like Ja might be able to get out of this situation without having to cough up much of his $197 million salary.
What do y’all think of the judge ruling in Ja’s favor? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games by the NBA thanks to his love of waving firearms on social media. The vibe on Twitter is that the high-flying point guard got off light.
ESPN reports that on Friday (June 16), the NBA announced that the Memphis Grizzlies point guard had been suspended 25 games for “conduct detrimental to the league” at the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season. The formal suspension comes after a second incident in which Morant was seen brandishing a gun on social media, this time in May.
Back in March, the NBA suspended Morant for 8 games for a similar incident where he showed off a firearm on Instagram Live while in a club in Denver. In response to that situation, Morant reportedly enrolled in counseling.
After the second incident, NBA Twitter fully expected NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to drop the hammer on Morant, with many speculating at least a half a season on ice for the talented player. Now it’s a question of Morant staying on the straight and narrow after his second strike.
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver n a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
Silver added, “For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
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In response, Morant issued his own statement which address his assigned homework.
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” said Morant in a statement he released on Friday. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman and Robert Pera — who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me — I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”
Peep Twitter’s reactions to Ja Morant’s punishment in the gallery.
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Ja Morant, currently under heavy scrutiny after being caught a second time on camera brandishing a gun, recently released his first signature sneaker with Nike in the Ja 1. A new report reveals that the Ja 1 sneaker was scrubbed from Nike’s app and site, although a new colorway is said to be in existence.
According to a report from Commercial Appeal, a Memphis news publication, the signature Ja Morant sneakers were removed from the Nike website and app, along with no longer being available on sports apparel company Finish Line’s website or app.
The outlet added that the new colorway of the Ja 1 sneakers, titled Hunger, is still available via the SNKRS and Hibbett Sports by way of a raffle. It isn’t known if Nike is backing out of its partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies superstar and unlike the first gun-flashing incident on March 4, the company has yet to make a statement.
This past Sunday, Morant was seen on a friend’s Instagram Live feed listening to Hip-Hop music and then brazenly flashing a gun similar to what occurred in March. During the 2023 Draft Lottery this past Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed thoughts about Morant’s recent troubles and thought that the electrifying playing was changing his ways.
Ja Morant issued a recent statement apologizing yet again for his actions. The Grizzlies suspended their star from all team activities as the league and team continue to investigate and handle the matter.
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As many on social media made light of the latest incident featuring Ja Morant and guns, one meme proved to be a haunting throwback for GloRilla.
The Memphis Grizzlies star guard is embroiled in another controversial incident involving a firearm, this time through a viral video that was uploaded online featuring him flashing a gun in a car with an unidentified friend. The reaction online sparked a wave of memes criticizing but mostly clowning Morant, with one meme of a young girl holding a large gun that read, “Ja Morant every month.” It turned out that the young lady in the photo was GloRilla. She got wind of the meme circulating and quote tweeted it with a couple of laughing emojis. “I was a menace in high school,” she wrote. “I’m so embarrassed.” The Memphis native didn’t offer anything further.
The new Morant video comes weeks after he was suspended for eight games towards the end of the regular season by the Grizzlies after a video of him flashing a firearm in a gentlemen’s club in Denver, Colorado captured from his Instagram Stories went viral. The latest situation has already seen possible heavy repercussions being floated, as National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about it on Tuesday at the NBA Draft Lottery. “Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend — that video. Now, we’re in the process of investigating it,” he said.
Morant released a statement Tuesday (May 16), which was relayed by Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter: “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. 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.”
Wojnarowski has previously reported that the league could hand down a stiffer suspension.
As for GloRilla, she’s currently building off of the success of her Grammy Award-nominated track “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and being the headliner for the Anyways, Life’s Great tour this past spring. Signed to fellow Memphis artist Yo Gotti’s CMG label, the 23-year-old is also expected to perform at the Austin City Limits Festival later in the year.
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Ja Morant is proving himself to be excellent at hustling backwards. The NBA superstar was recently spotted once again flashing a gun while appearing on an Instagram Live, and the NBA is aware of the situation while NBA Twitter is as pissed as anyone.
Previously, Ja Morant flashing a firearm on IG cost him an 8 game suspension and time away from the team. Well clearly, he didn’t take the message to heart.
There was Mr. Morant holding what seems to be a black pistol while on IG which started circulating on Saturday night (May 13). In the since-deleted video (but nothing is ever truly deleted on the Internets), Morant is seen in his friend Davonte Pack’s account holding a handgun while in the passenger seat of a car and singing along to a rap song. Also, the original IG Live had a viewership of just over 100 people.
Bruh…
There is no doubt that the high-flying point guard will be suspended for a significant number of games for the 2023-2023 NBA season. But for now, the Memphis Grizzlies have already suspended Morant from all team activities according to ESPN.
“We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” said NBA spokesperson Mike Bass in a statement Sunday (May 14).
Twitter has not been too kind to Morant considering this is his second offense of the same kind of incident. There have also been other off the count incidents that don’t place Morant in the best of lights like allegedly beating up a teen basketball player or beefing with workers in a sneaker store.
Check out reactions to Morant’s latest headass decision-making in the gallery.
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Ja Rule doesn’t dominate the charts in Hip-Hop’s current climate but he’s very much a certified hitmaker and has earned his status as a top touring act. In a recent chat, the Queens, N.Y. star believes that Hip-Hop music is having a negative impact on the decision made by one of the NBA’s brightest stars in Ja Morant.
TMZ Sports chatted up Ja Rule as he was leaving an airport and got his take on Ja Morant and his recent issues, especially the flashing of the gun on Instagram Live in Colorado after a Memphis Grizzlies game. According to the “Holla Holla” artist, Morant is applying Hip-Hop’s current sound to his real life.
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NBA player Patrick Beverley said on his podcast, The Pat Bev Show with Rone, that the music of choice for Morant is where all the decisions stem from. Ja Rule also agreed with that assessment, urging the young superstar to focus on his burgeoning NBA career and leave the tough street image in the rearview.
“Hip-Hop is very influential,” the rapper born Jeffrey Atkins began. “I’ve done things in my youth because of Hip-Hop. Redman made ‘How To Roll A Blunt,’ we started smoking blunts.”
Morant has gotten grilled plenty in the press and by former NBA stars, including a candid sit-down with ESPN’s Jalen Rose. Rose issued his own stern warning to Morant, stating that he understood what he was going through and hoped that Morant would correct course.
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Ja Morant gave his first interview after a video of him surfaced brandishing a gun inside a Colorado nightclub, which led to him being suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies. Sitting down with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, the basketball superstar expressed regret over his decisions and promises to deliver a better image going forward.
Ja Morant, 23, is one of the young faces of the league and clearly is a draw no matter what arena he’s playing in. His electrifying style of play and passion on the court became coupled with troubling allegations of violence and negative actions over the past year. Ahead of the interview, Rose, himself a product of humble beginnings during his rise in the NBA, issued a stern but brotherly warning to Morant.
More from ESPN:
“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” Morant said Wednesday during an interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, referring to his inner circle. “I feel like in the past we didn’t know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now.
“I realize what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose. It’s pretty much just that being more responsible, more smarter and staying away from all the bad decisions.”
Good on Ja Morant for realizing his mistakes and being willing to grow from them.
Morant will return to the Grizzlies at the conclusion of his eight-game suspension handed down from the NBA.
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After weeks of controversial accusations and a regrettable social media post which resulted in him being suspended from his team, Ja Morant seems to be seeking help for whatever demons he’s battling as he’s entered a counseling program in the sunshine state.
According to TMZ the NBA superstar has voluntary admitted himself to a counseling center in Florida recently and no timetable has been set for his return to his Memphis Grizzlies team. The news comes after Ja was said to be expected to miss the next few games after already being suspended from the teams previous 4 games. Now that he’s in a program to get help for whatever ales him at the moment, it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll even be back this season as these type of programs normally take weeks to months for participants to get through.
Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins was asked Monday if Morant would be eligible to return for Friday’s game against the Spurs … and he said there are things that have to happen before Morant suits up for the Grizzlies again.
“There are a lot of internal dialogues going on and obviously there’s still things going on at the league level that we’re in communication with,” Jenkins said. “Ja’s fully engaged in this process and ready for whatever comes next after these 2 games.”
One of the leagues brightest stars in the game, Ja Morant had come under scrutiny over recent weeks when it was being reported that his associates had flashed a gun at personnel for the Indiana Pacers and that Ja Morant himself had allegedly punched a teenager at his home in Memphis. It wasn’t until Ja flashed a gun during an IG Live that his team decided to suspend him for his behavior. Luckily for Ja, the Glendale Police Department in Colorado investigating the matter announced that Morant wouldn’t face any charges over the firearm.
While Memphis and NBA fans will be disappointed to know that Ja won’t be getting on the court anytime soon, his personal and mental health are most definitely more important than anything else in his life right now so we’re glad to see Ja taking the initiative to get help and ensure a much brighter and healthier future going forward.
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Police in Colorado have stated that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will not face criminal charges over flashing a gun in a social media video last weekend.
On Wednesday afternoon (March 8), the Glendale, Colorado Police Department announced that after finishing their investigation into Ja Morant after being alerted to an Instagram Live video he streamed showing him flashing a firearm while in Shotgun Willie’s strip club, that they would not file charges.
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“GPD was not able to determine that probable cause existed for the filing of any charges,” the press release partially stated. “In this case, it should be noted that on the night in question, the GPD did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any type. Subsequently, no disturbances were reported, and no citizens or patrons of the club came forward to make a complaint. The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm and in fact, no firearm was ever located.”
Morant was spotted on his Instagram Live flashing the weapon while in the club early Saturday morning (March 5) hours after his Grizzlies team lost to the hometown Nuggets. The club is five miles from Denver’s home stadium Ball Arena. After the footage was released, the Grizzlies announced that the 23-year-old would not be available for the team’s next two games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. So far, the team has stated publicly that he is to miss the team’s next four games at least.
Morant deactivated his Twitter and Instagram accounts that Saturday as the news spread and issued a statement saying he was stepping away. ”I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being,” he said.
The trouble may not be over for Ja Morant, as the NBA has been investigating the incident in addition to others he’s been involved in. In addition, while Nike issued a statement of support for the two-time All-Star, Powerade has taken steps to take down its ads featuring Morant on its website and social media according to reports.
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Ja Morant was thought to be returning to the Memphis Grizzlies after serving a widely reported two-game suspension after he was seen brandishing a gun on Instagram Live. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said that a timetable for Morant’s return has yet to be established as the team continues to address the needs of its superstar player.
As reported by ESPN, Coach Jenkins spoke to the media before the Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday (March 6). In the pre-game press conference, Jenkins said that the team is focused on getting Morant the help he needs to address his off-court issues while also pledging to keep him accountable for his actions.
“There’s not a definitive timeline, we have said that it would be at least two games,” Jenkins said to one reporter. “We’re taking it one day at a time, this is a healing process.”
He added, “He’s [Morant] understands that he’s made some difficult decisions and poor choices in the past that he has to account for, that’s what you saw in the statement, it speaks for itself.”
Morant issued a public statement apologizing for his actions and adding that he’s seeking help with stress and other concerns.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down,” the statement said. “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Ja Morant remains the face of the Grizzles franchise and one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. At just 23 years of age, Jenkins and the Grizzlies’ front office appear committed to helping their player through his recent woes.
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