Former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson revealed Monday one interesting group that is unhappy with how Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has handled himself over the last two months.
Morant was suspended from all team activities after he flashed a gun in a livestream. It was the second gun-related incident for the star guard who was suspended eight games in March for a similar incident.
Johnson, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appeared on ESPN’s “Keyshawn, J-Will and Max” and said a gang member in Los Angeles wasn’t too pleased with Morant.
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Retired NFL and college football star Keyshawn Johnson walks the sidelines before the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Wisconsin Badgers at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
“A notable gang member of a certain very powerful gang here in L.A. didn’t like the fact that Ja was doing those things in some of his games, along with portraying himself, to a degree, as some sort of hip-hop street gangster growing up in the hood when he hasn’t,” Johnson said via Barrett Sports Media.
“Those are the sort of things that I worry about because you’re aligning yourself in a position that you know nothing about at all whatsoever – zero about. That’s where I look at the team and the league and to be able to say, ‘You’ve got to get him the necessary help that he needs, serious help.’”
Johnson added in a separate comment that “people from the streets are kind of ticked off by his behavior because they would die to be in his shoes.”
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Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Morant has been under the spotlight since the start of the year.
The Indiana Pacers claimed that after an altercation between associates of Morant and the Pacers in January, a red laser was pointed at the team from an SUV that was carrying Morant, which the Pacers believed was a gun. The NBA investigated the incident and found that no “individual threatened others with a weapon.”
In March, a police report said Morant allegedly exposed a gun after punching a teenager last summer.
In the report by the Washington Post, Morant allegedly punched the teenager in the head “12 to 13 times” in a pickup basketball game at Morant’s house. According to the report, Morant went into his house after the altercation and emerged with a gun in his waist and his hand on the weapon.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies warms up before play against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Six of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Morant has not spoken about the latest suspension. He acknowledged last month that his actions may have caused some distractions with his teammates.
Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.
