Shannon Sharpe is still coming at Ja Morant.
The Fox Sports analyst criticized the Grizzlies’ superstar guard on Monday, a day after it was reported Morant’s entourage trained a red laser on members of the Pacers’ traveling party.
“I wish Ja would realize he’s not a thug,” Sharpe said on his “Undisputed” show. “Ja is a really good basketball player. Ja did everything he could to lift himself and his family out of this environment and to get away from this. And for some reason, he wants to surround himself with these types of people. Why? Bruh, you not hard. That’s not your life. People that [are] in that life would give anything to be in your life.”
According to The Athletic, Morant’s best friend Davonte Pack, along with a crew of others, had to be separated after exchanging words in the loading area of FedExForum. Morant’s entourage left when he arrived, and someone allegedly pointed a red laser at the Pacers party. Several witness believed the laser was potentially attached to a gun, though none saw a weapon.
Morant, 23, confirmed on Twitter that Pack had been banned from the Forum for the rest of the season.
“For some reason, you got a $200 million contract, and you want people in the NBA to think you hood,” Sharpe said. “To think you gangster because you roll with these types of people. Bruh, you putting yourself in harm’s way when you don’t have to!
“Nobody looks at you, Ja, and thinks, ‘man, that’s a thug; he hood. He down, he ’bout that.’ You not! Stop pretending! All you do is yap and talk about, ‘oh, I’m going to let him live and see another day; I’m going to do this.’ You not gonna do nothing! What you gon’ do is get yourself in trouble. Put yourself and your family in harm’s way when you don’t have to!”
Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion, was involved in a high-profile, on-court incident with the Grizzlies in January, in which he had to be separated from Morant’s father, Tee. The altercation was followed weeks later by guard Memphis guard Dillon Brooks getting suspended for a melee with Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell on Feb. 2.
Memphis has lost eight of nine, with the team’s behavior being called into question around the league. Morant, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is finding himself at the center of it, and Sharpe is not a fan of it.
“Bruh, you need to let that go,” Sharpe said. “‘Cause that’s not you. It’s not; you pretend like you hard, but you not, Ja. You opening yourself up; you’re putting yourself in a position you don’t even need to be in. And for what? For street cred?”