Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies warms up before the game against the Chicago Bulls at FedExForum on February 07, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
*Skip Bayless weighed in on the Ja Morant gun incident during the latest episode of Undisputed. Bayless questioned if the NBA player has “dreams of being a crip” after he posted a video of himself on his Instagram live on Saturday in which he flashed a gun.
“So I’ve called around the league to people I’ve known forever, talking about Ja,” Bayless said. “Because I was so shocked by the IG Live, how brazen it was. And I had several people say to me, ‘Well, timeout, are you sure you guys on TV aren’t giving him a pass here, like you’re not that?’ They’re asking me, ‘Are you sure he’s not that?’ Like, that’s just who he is, that he is about that life.’ And remember, he’s thrown up the Crips sign, I’ve seen him throw it up two or three times, I’ve probably missed some other times.”
As we reported previously, citing CNN, the Grizzlies announced Sunday that Morant would “be away from the team for at least the next two games,” after posting the video.
In the clip, posted early Saturday morning and shared widely on social media, the 23-year-old briefly flashes what appears to be a gun while reportedly listening to music at a nightclub, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
READ MORE: Looks Like NBA Star Ja Morant is Out Indefinitely After Gun Incident | VIDEOs
Skip Bayless wants to know if Ja Morant is a crip gang member
“What does that mean? Does that mean he wants to associate with the crips? Or did he get initiated by the crips? Or does he have dreams of being a crip? I don’t know”
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 6, 2023
When Bayless mentioned Morant “throwing up a crip sign,” co-host Shannon Sharpe appeared to co-sign.
“What does that mean? Does that mean he wants to associate with the Crips?” Bayless continued. “Or he got initiated by the Crips? Or he has a dream of being a Crip? I don’t know. I’m just throwing this out–that, are we missing the boat here that that’s just who he’s been from the start and we keep saying, ‘No, you’re just associated with the wrong people,’ when he’s actually part of the wrong people.”
Sharpe added, “You know what Skip? You and the people you talked to might be 100 percent correct, but that makes it even more egregious. Because you got out of that.”
Morant later apologized and said he would “take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said in a statement on the matter, noting that he plans to “get help” to manage his stress. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down.”
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