The last time Ja Morant showed off a gun on an Instagram Live, he finally got away with an “express” internship in Florida and eight small games of suspension.
The Grizzlies playmaker had therefore been rather spared on the sporting level. Financially and reputationally, it’s a different story because this case probably cost Ja Morant a spot on an All-NBA Team, and therefore $ 40 million on his next contract. While Powerade, who nevertheless wanted to make the player his gondola head, put his advertising campaign on hold during the “March Madness”…
Legality and public image
Ja Morant’s latest video, in which he again shows off a firearm during a live Instagram from one of his relatives, could therefore encourage the NBA to strike hard. The league immediately launched an investigation and the franchise, which had protected its star so much during the last episode, this time quickly announced its suspension.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the possibility of a big suspension is “very real”. For other leadersa suspension of half a season or more is indeed a possibility.
Because the question is not that of legality, Ja Morant potentially being able, in Tennessee, to appear with a firearm with his friends. The question is that of the public image of Ja Morant but also, by extension, of the Grizzlies and the NBA. Because as Michael McCann, a Harvard graduate professor and specialist in sports law, explained to us a few years ago, reputation is the keystone of professional sports leagues.
“All sports leagues are increasingly concerned about the misconduct of athletes when they are off the field or away from the courts”he explained to us. “Given the growing importance of social networks, television channels and investigative magazines, athletes are increasingly exposed outside the workplace. Leagues have fiduciary value [qui repose sur la confiance générale] and their image must therefore be good with the fans and the public. Image is also important to leagues in their interaction with politicians, including members of Congress who pass laws regulating the sport. Even though there is only a small minority of athletes who break the law, they tend to attract media attention and tarnish the league’s image. On the other hand, professional athletes, like NBA players, are not like other workers. They are role models for children, who idolize them. That they must answer for their actions in front of their leagues is something that is part of their job and that they must accept”.
For Michael McCann, it is essential that the league takes care of its public image.
“The NBA, and by extension Adam Silver, have a duty to preserve the image of the league. A player who attracts controversy because of his misbehavior off the court not only hurts his image but also that of his team and the NBA. It is perfectly appropriate for his team and the NBA to respond to this controversy. I do not believe that when Adam Silver suspends a player who has committed an offense or a crime, it is a matter of morality. It’s about knowing what are the interests of the NBA as a company whose success and failure depends on the perception of the public and the fans.
And that goes for everyone in the NBA. It must be remembered that Donald Sterling was banned as owner of the Clippers when his racist statements were not criminally reprehensible. Held in a private setting, they were thus “protected” by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the recording of the remarks not being admissible in the context of legal proceedings in California.
But if Donald Sterling was banned, it’s because the collective agreement stipulates that an owner “cannot act in a manner that adversely affects a team or the league”. For the NBA, the question is therefore always that of its reputation, before that of the pure and hard legality of problematic behavior.
Ja Morant understood nothing
But what could push the NBA to be much more severe is obviously repetition. Adam Silver had been very understanding with Ja Morant during the previous episode, giving him a soap opera by betting on an awareness of the playmaker of Memphis to prevent this from happening again.
Despite the absence of charges against the All-Star by authorities, who could not determine if the weapon was his, if he carried it on the plane of the Grizzlies or if he had exposed beyond the video extract, the “commissioner” had all the same qualified the conduct of Ja Morant as “irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous”recalling that his gesture “had serious consequences given his huge ratings and influence, especially among young fans who look up to him.”
“Ja also made it clear to me that he learned from this incident and that he understood that his obligations and responsibility to the Grizzlies and the entire community went far beyond his game on the field. » Adam Silver had concluded after their interview in New York.
After the elimination of Memphis in the first round of the playoffs, against the Lakers, Ja Morant had also promised to learn the lesson by taking “best decisions” out of the fields. It was fifteen days ago…
This new incident thus undermines all the speech of redemption and maturity of Ja Morant, who had also benefited from astonishing impunity in Memphis while extra-sporting incidents have multiplied in recent months. Adam Silver’s indulgence now passes for weakness, or credulity, the leader not really wanting to leave this “gang atmosphere” in which he delights. He obviously wanted above all to hide it better from the eyes of the general public, but he did not even manage to do so for more than a few weeks. Anyway, this new video is “incredibly stupid” concludes an opposing leader.
| Ja Morant | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | SAME | 67 | 31 | 47.7 | 33.5 | 77.6 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 7.3 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 17.8 |
| 2020-21 | SAME | 63 | 33 | 44.9 | 30.3 | 72.8 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
| 2021-22 | SAME | 57 | 33 | 49.3 | 34.4 | 76.1 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 27.4 |
| 2022-23 | SAME | 61 | 32 | 46.6 | 30.7 | 74.8 | 1.0 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 26.2 |
| Total | 248 | 32 | 47.2 | 32.1 | 75.3 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 22.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
