Memphis Business Owners Saw Ja Morant's Downfall Coming, Making His Decision-Making More Disappointing Than Anything Else | Mark Harris

Troubling, idiotic, stupid, and any synonym of those words have been used to describe the past year and change for Ja Morant and his decision-making. While those adjectives are more than fair to use, especially from a 30,000-foot view, locally in Memphis the word many have adopted to describe the situation is disappointing.

Sadly, disappointing seems to have become the catchphrase for the city of Memphis. From an undeniable increase in crime and incompetent city officials who can't get out of their own way, the city I call home has been over-served disappointment.

On March 3, I wrote a column titled 'Ja Morant Needs To Drop The Tough Guy Act, For Himself And For The City Of Memphis' after a report alleged that he threatened a 17-year-old with a gun after allegedly hitting him during a pickup basketball game at his home in the summer of 2022.

Ja Morant's boneheaded decisions are more disappointing than anything. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

From Bad To Much Worse For Ja Morant

Less than 24 hours after my story was published, Morant jumped on Instagram Live to show off a gun while inside a Colorado strip club a little after 3 o'clock in the morning. The league issued an eight-game suspension and Morant entered a rehabilitation program before returning to the floor later that month.

Two months later, on May 13, Morant was videoed inside a car by childhood friend Davonte Pack appearing to hold a gun yet again.

The gun-related incidents are what everyone focused on, but Morant appeared to be going down the wrong path well before that.

There were the previously discussed allegations about him threatening a teenager with a gun during a pickup game. Morant and a group of friends also allegedly showed up at a Memphis mall and threatened a shoe salesman after his mother got into a heated confrontation. There was the story of a laser being pointed at Pacers members after a game in Memphis and allegations of a dust-up at his sister's high school volleyball match as well.

Memphis Business Owners Predicted Ja Morant's Downward Spiral

Again, stupid is a more-than-fitting word to describe Morant's actions, but after reading testimonies from two Memphis business owners, it all goes back to disappointment.

Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon of ESPN spoke with two unnamed business owners in Memphis for a deep-dive piece on Morant's last 18 months. One of the owners was so fed up with Morant's antics, that he said the 25-game suspension he was handed is "not enough."

"Morant represented hope, the owner told ESPN, but waving a gun on social media in a city on pace for its highest crime rate since the FBI began publishing nationwide crime reports in 1995? The businessperson, who has interacted with Morant on several occasions, shook his head, dismayed at the example it sets. He called Morant's demise "devastating."

"I'm not against Ja. I'm just against the foolishness," the business owner explained. "Like, why? That's my problem. I would love for him to become a billionaire in our city, because I know what it would mean in our city. You don't get these kinds of draft picks every time you turn around. ... At this point, he knows he's richer than we are and he feels he's bigger than we are ... but the opportunity you have is a great one. Time is not on your side. I can only see, at the end of this thing, that he'll have a lot of regret."

Ja Morant disappointed the city of Memphis with his decision making. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Another business owner explained that he sat down with Tee Morant, Ja's father, and warned him about the pitfalls he's seen other Grizzlies players fall into in Memphis.

"I said, 'Listen to me, because I've been around a long time,'" the business owner recalled. "’I've seen the cycle.’ So when he started putting all that sh-t in his mouth, all those godda-n chains around his neck, he wanted to be a rapper, and I told his dad, 'Your son wants to be more of a rapper than a basketball player. It's going to go bad.'"

You would have been hard-pressed to find one single person inside the city limits of Memphis to say something negative about Ja Morant 24 months ago. He's gone from being the most influential and popular person in the city since Elvis Presley to someone whose next mistake not only feels inevitable but around the corner.

And with Memphians being used to disappointment and being put down by outsiders, you can't blame anyone for looking at the situation as grim instead of with optimism.

Follow Mark Harris on X @ItIsMarkHarris. You can also email him Mark.Harris@outkick.com.