ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins says Ja Morant may need to leave Memphis ‘for his own well-being’

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Ja Morant has received an abundance of fan support from Memphis Grizzlies fans through his previous off the court incidents, but ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins believes the two-time all-star may be best suited to play elsewhere.

On ESPN’s show “First Take,” Perkins stated that even though Morant didn’t commit a crime when he appeared to brandish a gun in an Instagram Live video that surfaced on May 14, he let down the African-American community and those who look up to him.

“If another incident like this happens … I’m ready to say right now that I think Ja Morant, it might be best for him to actually get out of Memphis and go to a different organization for his own well-being,” Perkins said.

In a previous gun incident from March, Morant was suspended eight games by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the team for brandishing a gun in a Denver-area nightclub. Previously reported situations include an altercation at Morant’s home, a local Memphis mall and an NBA investigated incident after a game against the Indiana Pacers.

The Grizzlies have supported Morant through each of the previous run-ins. After the March gun incident, the Grizzlies announced that Morant was stepping away from the team, and it was later reported that he entered a counseling program in Florida.

Morant has stated many times how much he appreciates playing in Memphis, and the biggest indicator came when he signed a five-year contract extension last summer without putting a player option on his fifth year like some players choose to do. The Grizzlies star has mixed into the community well in his first four seasons, forming relationships with rappers like Yo Gotti and Moneybagg Yo, who sometimes sit courtside at Grizzlies home games near Morant’s father, Tee.

“I just look at it like this is one of those phases,” Yo said about Morant in a recent interview with Complex. “Ja is going to snap out of it. And of course I gave him some encouraging words.”

When Morant returned after his nine-game absence in March, the Memphis fans at FedExForum greeted him with a standing ovation. It’s clear that the city of Memphis loves and supports Morant, but Perkins thinks…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/espns-kendrick-perkins-says-ja-182948973.html?src=rss

Author : The Commercial Appeal

Publish date : 2023-06-02 18:29:48

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