Ja Morant still has the same group of friends around him after gun waving trouble, according to his father Tee… who describes his sons actions as ‘a bad decision, but it wasn’t a crime’
- Tee says Ja has taught those around him that he doesn't have to lose
- Ja Morant recently completed a 25-match suspension and returned to playing
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Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has made no changes to his circle of friends after being suspended for 25 games for flashing guns multiple times on live video.
Morant recently returned from that suspension — which began after waving a gun around on Instagram Live for the second time last season.
The guard's father, Tee, spoke with Sirius XM NBA Radio hosts Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson and said his son is surrounded by educated people and doesn't feel the need to change who he hangs out with.
'We have the same circle. We have the same circle,” Tee said on air.
Tee added: “It's always funny that people want you to change circles, even though he doesn't have any killers around him.
Tee Morant says his son Ja still has the same group of friends around him from before the Memphis Grizzlies star was slapped with a 25-game suspension by the NBA this summer.
Ja Morant was suspended 25 games in May after recklessly brandishing a gun on live video. Morant was suspended retroactively for doing the same thing in Denver in March.
He has since returned to the field and hit a game winner in his first game back with Memphis
'He has well-educated people around him. But everyone else is thinking, “Okay, this person is this, this person is that.” No! Everyone knows their job.
'It was a bad decision. But it wasn't a crime.'
In the aftermath of Morant's second suspension, several basketball figures — such as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and former players Kevin Garnett and Tony Allen — advised Morant that he should surround himself with “the right people” to prevent such incidents from happening. prevent in the future. future.
As part of his return to the NBA, Morant was required to complete a program that “directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat his destructive behavior.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently said the former second overall pick had met the league's requirements for reinstatement.
Morant was first seen waving a gun during IG Live at a nightclub outside Denver, Colorado, in March. He was retroactively suspended six games, meaning he missed no more time.
But he was hit with a 25-match ban in May after doing the same thing on a friend's IG Live stream. Memphis had already been eliminated from the playoffs.
In his return on Tuesday, Morant scored a game-winning bucket to cap a 34-point night in a 115-113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Memphis is 2-0 since Morant returned.