Stephen A. Smith Claims The 'NBA Community' Is Worried Ja Morant Won't Be Alive In 5 Years

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While Memphis Grizzlies fans and the NBA world are waiting to see what sort of suspension Ja Morant is handed for his latest gun-waving stunt, Stephen A. Smith says some in the NBA community are worried about a much bigger concern involving the superstar.

Smith recently joined 'The Rich Eisen Show' and dropped a bit of a bombshell in explaining that some folks he's talked to involved with the league are worried about whether or not Morant will be alive in the next five years.

“In terms of Ja Morant’s behavior off the court, some of the things he finds himself engaged in, with the company that he keeps, with the establishments that he visits, things of that nature. Obviously, he feels compelled, pretty much all the time, to have a gun around him," Smith told Eisen.

“A lot of players I know are from the streets, period. And I can tell you that people within the NBA community are not just concerned about Ja Morant playing basketball. They’re concerned about whether or not he’s gonna be alive in five years.”

Morant Suspension Decision Coming After NBA Finals

This alleged concern Smith is tossing around comes after Morant went on Instagram with a gun not once, but twice, in a less than three-month stretch.

READ: MEMPHIS COPS DO WELFARE CHECK ON JA MORANT AFTER HE POSTS CRYPTIC PHOTOS AND MESSAGES

Cops Do Welfare Check On Ja Morant After He Posts Cryptic Photos

Ja Morant is facing a lengthy suspension, but Stephen A. Smith believes some are worried for his life, (Imagn/USA Today)

Morant has reportedly been involved with a number of other off-the-court issues over the last year or so, including his crew having a run-in with the Indiana Pacers and a shoe salesman at a Memphis mall.

The 23-year-old was suspended eight games following his first Instagram Live stream featuring a gun back in March. Morant was suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies immediately after his most-recent gun video.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that the league will be announcing Morant's suspension, which could be for the first half of next season at least, following the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.