Stephen A. Smith slams Ja Morant's "sellout" friends and fans
Ja Morant, Stephen A. Smith © Ron Chenoy, Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Despite Ja Morant issuing an apology after receiving a 25-game suspension, Stephen A. Smith has remained critical of the 23-year-old. This time, SAS berated Morant’s so-called friends and supporters who are yet to sway the 2-time All-Star to clean up his act.
“Ja Morant’s supposed to be collecting millions. That’s leading cats down to a dead end. That’s all you doing. You’re the sellouts! The ones that lead dudes down dead-end paths, knowing there’s no win. Ja Morant is getting paid $30 million next season. $10 million of it is gone because of the suspensions. They’ve calculated that this decision by the commissioner, brought on by Ja, is gonna cost him approximately $60 million,” Smith said.
Total loss incurred by Ja Morant
The initial eight-game suspension during the business end of the 2022-23 regular season cost Morant $668,659. Moreover, his gun-waving controversies led to the NBA snubbing him from All-NBA Teams, which cost Ja a $39 million bonus for his next contract.
The 2023-24 season will be the first of five years of Morant’s $192 million extension. However, without the All-NBA Team snub, the same contract extension could’ve amounted to $230 million. Morant’s upcoming 25-game suspension is likely to cost him $7.6 million in salaries.
Nike stands by Morant
Despite there being fear in the NBA world that Ja has tarnished his image and popularity with recent controversies, shoe-sales-wise, they arguably benefited the star point guard. His ‘JA 1 Hunger’ sneaker line sold out within minutes on the Nike app after the company stayed silent following Ja's second gun-waving video.
The brand that backs the Memphis Grizzlies superstar even put out a statement following Morant's 25-game suspension.
"We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court,” Nike said in a statement.
It seems like Nike believes Morant to finally change. However, the same can't be said about Stephen A. "Nobody believes you, bro," ESPN's analyst said. "I don’t say that flippantly. I’m a fan of Ja Morant. … Reason why you’re not believed is because you already lied. … You’re not believed; nobody’s believing a thing you’re saying right now. You really are in a show-and-prove point when it comes to your character."
Source: Basketball Network
