Charles Barkley Drops The Cold, Hard Truth On Ja Morant, Calls J.J. Redick And Other Defenders 'Idiots and Jacka*ses'
ESPN's J.J. Redick delivered a dumb take on the Ja Morant gun controversy.
Those who are sane-minded are reacting to Redick's take, accordingly.
Ahead of Wednesday night's Boston Celtics versus Miami Heat ECF matchup, Inside the NBA's Charles Barkley roasted Redick and the rest of Ja Morant's defenders as the Grizzlies star faces criticism for brandishing a gun on Instagram Live — just two months after he committed the same offense from inside a Denver nightclub.
Morant was suspended by the league and went through a barrage of apologies and counseling.
Still, the 23-year-old hooper didn't learn his lesson and is now due for a stricter punishment, according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Redick didn't find Morant's actions appalling and framed the incident as a political issue by condemning GOP lawmakers that allow for gun ownership in their respective states.
J.J. Redick, Hoping For NBA Gig, Avoids Critiquing Ja Morant's Streak of Dangerous Behavior
Then there are guys like ex-NBA baller Stephen Jackson, whose delusional outlook on the matter led him to frame it as a racial issue and defend Ja Morant.
In Charles Barkley's view, those guys are "idiots" and "jacka*ses." Barkley called out the members of the media rallying around Morant at a time when his actions are putting his Hall of Fame-potential career at stake.
This is what Barkley said during Wednesday's NBA pre-game show, discussing the Morant situation.
"Well, first of all, I got to say this, man, we got some ideas, some fool, some jacka*ses on television. They really just pissed me off."
Barkley added, "Talking about, 'Ja should make a stand saying he didn't break any laws, he didn't do anything wrong. We are in a state where you can carry a gun.' Those guys are just... freaking idiots ..."
Barkley's right.
To give Ja Morant slack after his first offense — waving a gun on social media — would be a fool's errand. Even Commissioner Silver, who spoke to Morant before his return to the Grizzlies, found the latest gun incident "shocking" and expects "the worst" out of the video.
NBA fans and pundits are waking up to Morant's willingness to embrace "thug-like" behavior over a future in the Association.
But when you're a guy like Redick, who has an ESPN-approved narrative to push and NBA head coaching interviews to brace for, you probably don't want to tell the truth.