Lil Wayne claims Ja Morant should be the face of the NBA once LeBron James retires, despite Grizzlies star’s recent ban for flashing a gun and ongoing assault lawsuit

Rapper Lil Wayne has claimed that Ja Morant is the best candidate to take over as the face of the NBA once LeBron James retires.

That's despite the Memphis Grizzlies star's disciplinary issues, which recently saw him return from a 25-game suspension. after a video of him the flash of a gun was posted online.

The video showed Morant sitting in the passenger seat of a car and was posted after he finished serving a eight-match suspension in March for a new video in which he showed off a gun at a Denver-area strip club.

Morant played for the first time on Tuesday evening and scored a sublime buzzer beater against the New Orleans Pelicans.

He has proven to be a sublime player on the field and a key player for the Grizzlies, but off-field issues have dogged his career thus far.

Lil Wayne says Morant provides entertainment and plays on a competitive Memphis team

But when asked who should take over as the face of the NBA if LeBron walks away, Lil Wayne said Morant was the “obvious answer.”

He explained: “For me, I think the obvious answer is Yes.

“The NBA is entertainment. What I mean by that is there was always Michael Jordan and he was, you know, just like God.

“You're going to watch these Atlanta Hawks games just to see Dominique (Wilkins) and see if he can get one of them.

“I'm going to watch these games in Portland to see if Clyde (Drexler) is going to get him one.

“Ja's teams are really competitive when he's there and doing his thing.”

Morant was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 2022 Most Improved Player. He is also a two-time All Star.

The ban on firearms is not the only thing that bothers Morant off the field.

Morant was singing with friends when he was caught holding a gun during a livestream video

The point guard was suspended after flashing a gun on an Instagram Live

Morant allegedly beat a then 17-year-old boy, Josh Holloway, at his mansion in Memphis

A Tennessee judge said Wednesday she would not immediately rule on whether his legal team has successfully argued that the NBA star is immune from a lawsuit by a teenager he shot during a 2022 pickup game. gave a blow.

The lawsuit filed by Joshua Holloway accuses Morant of assaulting him when the Grizzlies' guard punched him during a pick-up game at Morant's parents' home on July 26, 2022.

When he was 17, Holloway was invited to play at the Morant family's private court. Holloway is now 18 and plays for Samford University.

Morant says he was defending himself after Holloway aggressively threw the basketball at him with a baseball-like one-handed pass and hit him in the face.

Morant's father, Tee Morant, testified that for years the family has invited young local basketball players and friends of Morant to play on their large home court.

Morant's parents cook a meal for the players after the pick-up games.

Holloway had been invited to play several times and had built a friendly relationship with the Morants.

Ja Morant testified that the teen behaved well and showed respect to him and his family during his previous visits.