Ja Morant said to reevaluate his priorities after the latest pistol-waving incident by Gilbert Arenas – the man who served a 50-game NBA ban for bringing guns into the Wizards’ locker room
- Arenas was charged with criminal charges and suspended for 50 games in 2010
- He advises Morant to consider his heritage and Memphis to help protect him
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Retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas reflected on his own history with gun issues when discussing Ja Morant’s latest pistol controversy.
The Memphis Grizzlies star remains suspended by the team indefinitely from all basketball activities after he was seen brandishing a pistol again on Instagram Live last week.
Arenas, who was suspended indefinitely by then-NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2009-10 season, spoke to TMZ about what he saw in Morant and how he thinks the guard can change.
‘It’s frustrating to see what’s going on and the behavior is still going on, but it’s still young, right,’ said Arenas.
‘It’s no different than seniors at frat parties who get drunk and get wasted. And if we look back on their lives, they’ll be like, “what was I thinking at that point?”
Gilbert Arenas used his own experience and advised Ja Morant to think about his legacy
Ja Morant appeared in an Instagram Live video on Saturday – where he was seen carrying a gun
Morant (L) is in the drivers seat of a car where he is seen holding a pistol for the camera
‘You know, models are really a key to being successful. Understanding that you are not larger than life and understanding how to become a superstar. That’s right. Superstars are given keys, but not taught how to become one.
‘So it’s frustrating that he has to learn the hard way, and sometimes that’s what happens.’
On Christmas of 2009, Arenas and Washington Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton pulled a gun on each other over gambling debts. After being suspended for the rest of the NBA season, Arenas was sentenced to two years of probation and 30 days in a halfway house.
Arenas said Morant hasn’t reached out to him yet, but offered advice if the star guard wanted it.
‘What do you want your legacy to be?,’ asked Arenas. ‘What will your kids Google someday?
‘I did 99 things right. I did something wrong. Everyone remembers something. So do you want your legacy? No matter how many championships you win, how many scoring titles you win, they will remember this moment in time.
‘So you have to do a lot of scrubbing just for the first part of the behavior, right? So if that’s what you want to do, let’s do it.’
In 2010, Arenas was suspended 50 games and sentenced to two years of probation after threatening a teammate while Arenas was a member of the Washington Wizards
Arenas also suggested that Memphis should ‘protect’ Morant by investing in drivers and security
‘Right now, he’s still young. He has friends who are children. They don’t know the importance of what is happening, who he is. He’s just going out there, playing a game he loves and being 23.
‘He’s not coached like LeBron James. [James] there’s Warren Buffett, he’s got Michael Jordan to go through, so he knows he’s learning[ed] how to move
‘So [Morant] there has to be guidance from people in those situations to say, this is how you move. It’s like you’re moving, this is how the stars move.’
Arenas also suggested that the Grizzlies should invest in drivers and security guards, saying, ‘this is your investment. $200million, $300million, whatever you put into this kid, protect it.’
