Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe speak out after Ja Morant is seen with a gun on Instagram again

The day after Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was suspended by the team for another incident involving a gun, Monday’s sports debate shows gave their opinion.

Fox’s Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith shared their thoughts and opinions on what could be in store for Morant in the near future.

While this is the second incident Morant has had with a firearm, he did not break any laws for either location where he was.

However, the three experts believe his NBA career could be in jeopardy due to league and team mandates following his March incident in Denver.

Smith took a more critical route from Morant, saying his actions could lead to a more serious suspension from the league.

“Yes Morant is more associated with guns than winning,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “Think about that for a second, because you have Nike and this signature shoe.

And suddenly Kyrie Irving isn’t that big of a deal when you look at it. Because Kyrie doesn’t hurt anyone. Kyrie did not put herself in a situation where it was considered a danger to other people. Kyrie didn’t do that, okay?

“But the sneaker deal went away from him and the crowd fell on him, including myself. Don’t be hypocritical here.

“The thing is, it’s nothing compared to what we’re talking about with Ja Morant as it pertains to the company he keeps, the kind of things he has on his person, along with just an attitude that says, ‘Know you what, I say what people want to hear, I convince them to believe it, but in the end what am I really doing?
What Ja Morant said he was going to do: what he wants. He doesn’t change for anyone.” That’s a quote he gave a few months ago.

‘So guess what? The Memphis Grizzlies, this is the second time they’ve suspended him. How did that go? The competition apparently feels compelled to intervene.

“And I have people in the league texting me that Ja Morant should be suspended for a year. I’m not saying I think that’s too harsh, but there are people who say you have to send a message to the entire league that this kind of thing will not be tolerated because it jeopardizes the brand’s success.’

On Fox’s “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed,” Sharpe tried to put Morant’s actions into context while criticizing those who said his past behavior should be ignored.

“So now, look [here’s] the problem, you see, Ja can’t embarrass herself any further. What about the Memphis Grizzlies? What about the NBA? What about Nike? What about Powerade?” Sharpe wondered.

“Now I want to know who will be the treasurer of that GoFundMe because he’s about to lose that NBA contract. He’s about to lose that Powerade endorsement.

“Now I want to know… all the people who said “let Yes be Yes,” are you all going to be treasurers of that GoFundMe account?

Because he just lost $39 million for not being on one of the three All-NBA teams. He’s about to lose another $20-30 million from these endorsement deals.

“So I want to know in the process of “Yes is Yes, do your thing” what you are all going to do next? Who’s going to lead the Ja’s defense?

Sharpe went further, saying he does things in his private life that his employer might have a hard time posting. He then asked, ‘Why can’t Ja understand that?

“Get someone off the street, Skip, and they’ll do what Ja says he wants to do: bang for a living.

“Say, ‘You know what, I’m going to give you a chance to get off these streets. I’m going to give you a contract for about $200 million for the next five years. What do you think they’re going to do Skip?

‘Great example: Jay-Z. Jay-Z was in those streets. I leave that out. 50 Cent was on those streets. Snoop… no, I’ll leave that behind.

This man is the CEO of “Ja Inc.” Which CEO do you know who carries a tool? Which CEO do you know on IG live? I don’t see Tim Cook. I don’t see the Murdochs. I don’t see anyone leaving big companies, CEO throwing a stick around you when you feel so unsafe. hire security, [that’s] all you need to do.

‘That’s what most people do. You don’t see LeBron without his team. You don’t see most of these guys, prominent people who feel like their lives are in danger. Hire a security role to go with you.

“But ‘no, no, no. I don’t need security. I’ve got that fire with me. Let y’all know I’m about this life.’ Your mom and dad did everything they could to protect you growing up… Now it looks like John came from the middle class. But whatever it is, he wanted to rise to a higher level, have better than what he had growing up.

“He gets to that point and not only doesn’t want to go back to the middle class he came from, he wants to go back to the trenches. He wants to go back to the mud. After you make 40 million, you make 40.50 million a year, and do you want to live that lifestyle? For what?’

In response to his co-host’s comments, Bayless pointed out the various legal troubles Morant had gone through to remind the audience.

But before getting into that, Bayless recalled how impressed he was with Morant’s presence on the field and his dedication to improving himself.

“I’ve tried and tried and tried some more to love this kid because I really love him as a basketball player,” Bayless admitted. ‘But who doesn’t? Who can’t? You and I went back and forth on his design. I said I liked him, but I think Zion [Williamson]will become a greater force than the competition just because he is so much bigger.

“And I was a little worried about Ja’s size and his ability to shoot the three. He really struggled his freshman year to shoot the three. And as you say, he ended up in someone’s lab.

“I don’t know what lab he ended up in, but he showed me a lot about his off-season dedication and discipline when it comes to basketball. Period of time. End of story.

“Because he made himself the NBA’s most improved player, he turned his whole game back by making three-pointers in his sophomore year. I was very impressed by that.’