Gilbert Arenas has advice for Ja Morant after latest gun video
Gilbert Arenas said that Ja Morant hasn’t reached out to him and asked for advice after the Grizzlies star’s gun videos surfaced, but if he did, Arenas would pass along some insight he learned throughout his controversial NBA career.
“What do you want? What do you want your legacy to be, what your kids are gonna Google one day,” Arenas told TMZ Sports. “I did 99 things right. I did one thing wrong — everybody remembers the one thing, right? So do you want your legacy, no matter how many championships you win, how many scoring titles you win.
“They’re gonna remember this moment in time, so you have to do a lot of scrubbing just to scrub the first part of the behavior. If that’s what you’re willing to do, then let’s do it.”
Arenas’ incident dates back to late 2009, when he brought guns into the Wizards’ locker room amid a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton that carried over from a team flight.
Arenas was ultimately suspended by the NBA for the rest of the 2009-10 season (50 games), and he also created additional controversy by imitating a shooting motion during a team huddle following the initial incident.
That has made Arenas a popular interview subject following Morant’s second video, including one with the New York Times where Arenas revealed how surprised he was when the second video emerged — not believing, at first, that it was a new clip.
Ja Morant holding a gun during an Instagram Live video on May 13, 2023. Twitter/@JamesBurnes8
Gilbert Arenas, pictured in 2022, has addressed the Ja Morant situation in various interviews this week. Getty Images
“The fact that you keep wanting to do the things you’re doing, then you must want to see how invincible you think you are,” Arenas told the New York Times about Morant.
Arenas believed that Morant can move past this incident, especially since, as he told TMZ Sports, there isn’t a victim besides Morant — he will dictate his future.
The 41-year-old guard, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2011-12, advised that Morant needs to learn how to be a superstar — since they are “given the keys but not taught how to be one” — just like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant did.
Arenas cited those two stars as examples for Morant to follow, adding that Bryant was able to “build an empire” to surround him.
“Move like you’re trying to be the president,” Arenas told TMZ Sports. “Move like you’re following LeBron’s footsteps and those guys. Protect your assets. Protect your name. Protect your future.”
Two months after Morant flashed a gun during an Instagram Live video at a strip club near Denver on March 4, the Grizzlies guard again appeared to flash a gun — this time during an Instagram Live video while in a car on May 13.
Ja Morant holding a gun at a strip club on an Instagram Live video on March 4, 2023. Twitter DJ Akademiks @Akademiks
Ja Morant has been suspended from all of the Grizzlies’ team activities. Getty Images
The Grizzlies suspended Morant indefinitely, and in an interview with ESPN, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that the league is “assuming the worst” and was “shocked” while investigating the clip.
“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said in a statement after the second video, according to ESPN. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. 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.”
Source: New York Post
