ESPN's Mike Wilbon Bans Ja Morant Shoes For Son: 'Our Money ... Is Not Going Toward That'

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant's off-court behavior made one ESPN pundit hit a boiling point. So much so that Morant's signature Nike shoe is BANNED from being worn in this man's house.

"Pardon The Interruption" and "NBA Countdown's" Michael Wilbon voiced a hard stance against Morant on Sunday, sharing that he banned his son from buying or wearing Ja Morant sneakers under his roof.

Morant Is Making The SAME Mistakes

The woes with Morant continue. Over the weekend, Morant went viral for all the wrong reasons as an Instagram Live video, shot by a friend of Morant, showcased the former second-overall-pick waving around a weapon.

Wilbon, expectedly frustrated with Morant's behavior, said he had to draw the line in terms of who his son can take inspiration from.

Morant does not fit that bill. Wilbon questioned Morant's past excuses and rehab efforts.

“We hear about four or five days, or eight days in some facility in Florida. That’s a joke. That’s PR. So, you can try to PR your way out of this through other social media forms and all of that,” Wilbon said.

He added, “What’s going to happen now? Nike going to pull that shoe? Is Powerade going to pull that drink? I know in my house, I told Matthew, ‘You can’t have the shoe. I’m not buying that shoe. You’re not buying that shoe. Our money, as a family, is not going toward that.’”

Morant's inability to learn from his mistakes has set him back once again, putting his image and longevity in the NBA in peril due to a habit of flashing weapons on social media.

In March, Morant received an eight-game suspension from the NBA for waving a gun around on Instagram at a Denver nightclub called "Shotgun Willie's" while on a $50,000 bender. Not exactly franchise-level character.

Morant announced his "break" (not entirely of his volition) from basketball and entered a Florida facility to rehabilitate.

Player-Driven NBA, Media Fell For Morant's PR Stunt

After following the program, which lasted mere days, he returned to basketball promising a more sage outlook toward his status as an NBA role model.

Morant even hopped on ESPN for a bloated interview with Jalen Rose, who dished Morant a softball query.

Sharing that he practiced meditation in his time away from the Grizzlies, and referring to himself in the third person during the interview, Ja Morant told Jalen Rose that he learned from his past and was not destined to repeat it.

Morant is proving that his time away from the game(gun-controversy-with-bold-claim-promptly-deletes-tweet/

Now facing his second suspension from the NBA due to this weekend's video, Morant's repercussions are expected to come both on and off the court. The 23-year-old could end up losing a $12 million contract with Nike over his social media activity.

It'll be intriguing to see the fallout from this gun incident now that brands are getting a glint of Ja Morant's deceit this time around.

Morant will have to reevaluate whether he wants to hoop for a living or chase a lifestyle as a wannabe thug.

You really have to be screwing things up to be an NBA player disliked by an ESPN analyst. If they like Kaepernick, they'll cover any egomaniac in the NBA.

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Alejandro Avila lives in Southern California and previously covered news for the LA Football Network. Jeopardy expert and grumpy sports fan. Known for having watched every movie and constant craving for dessert. @alejandroaveela (on X)