Three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has controversially thrown his support behind Ja Morant in the wake of the Grizzlies superstar’s strip club gun scandal this weekend.
Morant made headlines for all the wrong reasons Saturday morning after she posted an Instagram Live video, in which she appeared to display a gun while partying topless at a strip club.
But even though he was suspended for two games and since apologizing, he has gotten some support from a former NBA star in Arenas.
Speaking on his podcast, the former Memphis point guard said: “When we’re young, we do stupid things.” We do stupid things.
‘Are we trying to pretend that 23 is really old? 23 with a lot of money… there is going to be something stupid that you do. Some of us get caught, some of us don’t.
Ja Morant appeared with a gun in an Instagram Live video early Saturday morning.
Gilbert Arenas used his podcast as a platform to endorse Morant, insisting that ‘we all do stupid things’
Arenas was then put in a hypothetical situation where he owned the Memphis Grizzlies and asked what he would do about the Morant scandal.
He then proceeded to spin around in his seat, not looking at ‘Morant’, revealing: ‘Am I the owner? I’m going to do what every owner does: pretend I don’t see it.
‘I see nothing. It just grows a little faster. You have too much free time. You have to put Ja around someone who has been through the same thing and actually made it out safe and sound.
Arenas’ comments will likely upset some viewers given his controversial past with guns and his suspension from the NBA for a 2009 incident.
Then, at the Washington Wizards, Arenas admitted to bringing unloaded weapons into the Capital One Arena locker room amid a gambling dispute with then-teammate Javaris Crittenton.
Things came to a head on Christmas Eve when the pair reportedly pointed guns at each other in the locker room during an argument, and both were suspended for the rest of the season.
Crittenton was later charged with the 2011 murder of a woman. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm and is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence.
Plus, Arenas isn’t the only former NBA player to be in Morant’s corner after his misdemeanor.
Paul Pierce, a former NBA champion, also endorsed Morant in a post on his social media page.
Morant is a big name in the NBA, but he’s been involved in a number of different controversies.
NBA champion Paul Pierce tweeted Sunday: “I don’t care what they say about Ja. He was carrying a gun after I got stabbed, they don’t know what he’s going through.”
‘Everyone has something to say until you really know what’s really going on in someone’s life. When you black and rich ua target period [sic].’
Meanwhile, Morant has been involved in four alleged gun-related incidents in recent months, and the strip club video is just the latest in a series of controversies.
He was sued in September for allegedly punching a Tennessee teenager in the face during an impromptu game, something the NBA star claims was self-defense.
New details from police interviews obtained by The Washington Post revealed that the 17-year-old told Shelby County Sheriff’s Office detectives that the point guard hit him “12 to 13 times,” adding that the friend of Morant hit him “four to 13 more times.” five times.’
The teen claimed that when he got up to leave after the fight, Morant entered his home and reappeared with a gun.
Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton was jailed for 23 years after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm in August 2011.
Grizzlies’ Morant was seen pretending to fire a gun in celebration during a game this week
Morant issued a statement saying that he will take time to receive help.
In a baffling incident just days after the report was released, Morant sparked even more controversy, this time at an NBA game, when he held a guns celebration after watching a teammate shoot a 3-pointer.
The ugly moment occurred Wednesday night when the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Houston Rockets, with Morant watching from the bench as Desmond Bane drained a three-point effort in front of his teammates.
Morant was excited about the shot and celebrated by pretending to fire a gun at Bane as he ran down the court to defend himself.
In addition, there was an ugly incident after the Grizzlies’ game with the Pacers on January 29, when Ja Morant’s acquaintances ‘aggressively confronted’ members of the Indiana traveling party and pointed a red laser at them.
the athletic saying that Morant was traveling with his friend Davonte Pack and another person in an SUV when a red laser was pointed at the Pacers bus.
Two people who spoke to the publication anonymously said they believed the laser was attached to a weapon, while a nearby Indiana security guard said “that’s 100 percent a weapon.” However, it has not been confirmed if the laser was attached to a weapon.
Morant played for the Grizzlies on Friday night in Denver, just hours before the Instagram clip.
Memphis was heavily beaten by the Nuggets, but Morant appeared in high spirits throughout.
The incident led to a league investigation and appears to have shaken those involved.
“We felt we were in grave danger,” said a person present.
On Saturday night, Morant released a statement taking responsibility for his actions and explaining that he would be taking time off the game to work on his well-being.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” he said. “I am sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting them down.
“I’m going to take some time to get help and work on learning better methods to deal with stress and my overall well-being.”