NBA’s Ja Morant Problem Isn’t Over, And It’s Time For The League To Do More | Mark Harris

The NBA is a business, and just like any other business that strives to be as profitable as possible, it protects its most valuable assets. The Association isn’t just protecting Ja Morant – one of its most marketable and talented players – it’s coddling him.

Morant flashing a gun while streaming on Instagram Live earlier this season was a serious issue, and the NBA responded by handing him an eight-game suspension. He missed an extended period of time, and voluntarily entered a rehabilitation center in Florida for a brief stay.

That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t mean that the Morant problem has disappeared.

In fact, after The Washington Post released new details of his allegation-filled Summer of 2022, you could argue the league’s Morant problem is more prevalent now than it ever was.

The NBA Is Comfortable Being Silent

The NBA has no desire to get back into the mud, however. The league appears to think that the eight-game suspension covers all the bases, even though the playing field just went from a Double-A stadium to Fenway Park.

Morant allegedly punching a 17-year-old and threatening him with a gun wasn’t enough for the league to react.

Showing up to a Memphis mall and threatening a 22-year-old shoe clerk because his mom was reportedly angry he helped two white customers before her didn’t even push the NBA to blink; the league declined to comment for the Post’s story about the new details.

Those two instances happened around the same time Morant and his friends reportedly threatened others at a high school volleyball game in town.

The NBA Is Ignoring Its Ja Morant Problem

Morant had already struck out, but it was only after his fourth strike involving a gun in a Colorado strip club did the league decided to pay attention.

While it’s abundantly clear that Memphis Police did its best to shield Morant’s name from reports, which gave the league wiggle room to not do anything, the reports were already out there before he flashed a gun in a strip club.

The league could issue further disciplinary action for Morant, but it won’t. Remember, businesses protect their most valuable assets.

All of Morant’s incredibly stupid decisions are in the past. I’d like to think that his immature choices are in the rearview mirror that he never looks back at, both for himself and for Memphis, the city I call home.

Everyone, whether they’re NBA superstars or work in a cubicle, however, is presented with choices each and every day. Hopefully, Morant makes the right choices moving forward, but if he doesn’t, the NBA deserves some of the blame for disguising itself as an enabler.

If that fifth strike comes for Morant, the NBA must do something, anything.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris