by Gilbert Arenas, a three-time NBA all-star, controversially gave his support to Ja Morant in the wake of a gun scandal at the Grizzlies star’s strip club this weekend.
Morant made headlines for all the wrong reasons Saturday morning after he posted an Instagram live video in which he appeared to flash a gun at a topless party at a strip club.
But despite being suspended for two games and since delivering the apology, he has received support from the former NBA star at Arenas.
Speaking on his podcast, the former Memphis quarterback said, “When we’re young, we do stupid shit.” We do stupid shit.
“We’re trying to pretend that 23 is really old? 23 years with lots of money… that’s gonna be some stupid shit you’re gonna do. Some of us get caught, some don’t.
Ja Morant appeared holding a gun in an Instagram live video in the early hours of Saturday
Gilbert Arenas used his podcast as a platform to endorse Morant and insisted “we all do stupid shit”
Arenas was then put in a hypothetical situation where he owned the Memphis Grizzlies and was asked what he would do about Morant’s scandal.
He then began to rotate in his seat without looking at “Morant”, revealing: “I’m the owner? I’ll do what any owner does: I’ll pretend I don’t see it.
– I can not see. Just grow up a little faster. You have too much time. You have to put the Self near someone who has been in the same way and has actually come out of it safely.
Arenas’ comments are likely to alienate some viewers given his controversial past with guns and his NBA suspension for the 2009 incident.
Then at the Washington Wizards Arenas, he pleaded guilty to carrying an unloaded gun into the locker room at the Capital One Arena during a gambling dispute with his then-teammate Javaris Crittenton.
Matters came to a head on Christmas Eve when the pair reportedly pointed guns at each other in the locker room during an altercation, and both were suspended for the remainder of the season.
Crittenton was later charged with the murder of a woman in 2011. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a gun and assault with a firearm and is currently serving 23 years in prison.
Moreover, Arenas is not the only former NBA player to stand in Morant’s corner after his offense.
Former NBA champion Paul Pierce also endorsed Morant in a post on his social media page
Morant is a big name in the NBA, but he has been involved in a number of different controversies
NBA champion Paul Pierce himself tweeted on Sunday: “I don’t care what you all say about me, I carried a gun after being stabbed, you all don’t know what I’m going through.
“Everyone has something to say until you really know what’s really going on in someone’s life. When you are black and rich target period [sic].
Meanwhile, Morant has been implicated in four alleged gun-related incidents in recent months, and the strip club video was just the latest in a series of controversies.
He was sued in September for allegedly punching a Tennessee teenager in the face during a pick-up game, which the NBA star claims was in self-defense.
New details from police interviews obtained by The Washington Post revealed that the 17-year-old told Shelby County Sheriff’s Office detectives that the quarterback hit him “12 to 13 times,” adding that Morant’s friend hit him “four to five times.”
The teenager claimed that when he got up to leave after the fight, Morant entered his house and reappeared with a gun.
Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton was sentenced to 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a gun and assault with a firearm in August 2011.
Morant of the Grizzlies pretended to fire a pistol during a game this week
Morant released a statement saying he would take some time to get help
In a startling incident just days after the report was released, Morant stirred up even more controversy – this time during an NBA game – when he celebrated a gun after seeing a teammate shoot a three-pointer.
The unsavory moment came Wednesday night as the Memphis Grizzlies faced the Houston Rockets, with Morant watching from the bench as Desmond Bane exhausted a three-point effort ahead of his teammates.
Morant was excited about the shot and celebrated by pretending to fire his pistol at Bane as he ran across the floor back to the defense.
Moreover, after the Grizzlies-Pacers game on January 29, there was an unpleasant incident when Ja Morant’s friends “aggressively confronted” members of the Indiana traveling group – and pointed a red laser at them.
The Athletic said Morant was riding with friend Davonte Pack and another person in an SUV when a red laser was aimed at the Pacers bus.
Two people who spoke to the publication anonymously said they believed the laser was attached to the gun, while a nearby Indiana security guard stated “it’s 100 percent a gun.” However, it has not been confirmed that the laser was attached to the weapon.
Morant played for the Grizzlies Friday night in Denver, just hours before the Instagram clip
Memphis was beaten hard by the Nuggets, but Morant was in high spirits the whole time
The incident led to a league investigation and appears to have shocked those involved.
“We felt we were in grave danger,” said one person present.
On Saturday night, Morant issued a statement taking responsibility for his actions and explaining that he would be taking a break from the game to work on his well-being.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” he said. “I apologize to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you guys down.
“I’m going to take some time off to get help and work on learning better ways to deal with stress and my overall well-being.”
