Charles Barkley had a message for Ja Morant during Wednesday’s “NBA Tip-Off” on TNT — and for those defending the Grizzlies star after he appeared to flash a gun in an Instagram Live video for a second time.
When someone makes more than $100 million to “dribble a stupid basketball” and play in the NBA, certain expectations are attached to the opportunity that’s like “you hit the lottery,” Barkley said.
And flashing a gun in two Instagram Live videos across a little more than two months — in addition to the other off-court issues reported in an investigation by The Washington Post — falls into the category of actions where “you can’t make money on the NBA doing that stuff,” according to Barkley.
“Man, when you’re making $100 million a year to play sports, your life changes,” Barkley said on the pregame show ahead of the Eastern Conference finals opener. “There are certain rules and regulations you have to live by, plain and simple. You can’t do stupid stuff. That’s the trade-off. Now if you want to do all that stuff and give all that money back, more power to you.”
Morant appeared to flash a gun during an Instagram Live video Saturday while in a car, and the Grizzlies suspended Morant from all team activities the next day — with ESPN reporting that Morant could face a “lengthy suspension” that exceeds the eight-games punishment from the league following the first Instagram Live video while at a strip club in early March.
The 23-year-old guard, signed a five-year, $194 million deal last July, released a statement that acknowledged he has “disappointed a lot of people who have supported me.”
“This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do,” Morant said in his statement. “My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that he was “shocked” by the video when he saw it, adding that the league was “assuming the worst” during its investigation.
And since the second video surfaced, shows and individual television hosts have voiced various opinions about Morant, including “some idiots, some fools, some jackasses on television that really just piss me off” with their points, Barkley said.
“Talking about Ja should make a stance saying he didn’t break any laws, he didn’t do anything wrong, we’re in a state where you can carry your gun — those guys are just, they’re just freaking idiots …,” Barkley said.
Morant averaged 26.2 points per game in the regular season and helped the Grizzlies clinch a playoff spot before being eliminated by the Lakers in the first round.