Tee Morant, the father of Ja Morant, an NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies, openly held his son accountable for the actions that led to his suspension. Ja Morant, who is a two-time NBA All-Star and was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2020, has been suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 NBA season. This suspension comes after he displayed a firearm on two separate occasions while livestreaming on Instagram Live.
During a speech to campers at the Up Next Elite Camp in New Orleans, Tee Morant used his son’s example to emphasize the importance of making responsible choices. Rather than attribute his son’s trouble to the people he associated with, Tee Morant made it clear that Ja Morant was solely responsible for his own actions.
“My son didn’t get in trouble for people around him — he got in trouble for his decisions,” Tee Morant said. “So always be mindful of every decision y’all make, because it can pretty much take over you and consume you and make you think that you’re who you’re not. … I’m just telling y’all, just make the right decisions, alright?”
Ja Morant’s troubles began on March 4, when he displayed a firearm at a Denver nightclub while livestreaming on Instagram after a game against the Denver Nuggets. After being suspended for eight games due to this incident, Morant repeated his actions by displaying a gun while livestreaming in a car driving through Memphis 10 weeks later. This second offense resulted in a 25-game suspension.
As a result, Morant will miss the first third of the upcoming NBA season and will not be eligible to return until December.
