By: Winston Wei

The issue of gun safety touched NBA’s very own Ja Morant after his suspension for 25 games for waving a gun recklessly in a social media video for a second time. This suspension came on Friday, June 16th, 2023, to stop Morant from influencing dangerous behavior.

Morant is a 23-year-old point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has 12.5 million followers combined on Instagram and Twitter, which shows how much influence he has. Morant himself even realized that his own type of behavior was harmful.

Morant, aware of his celebrity status, apologized.

“To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model,” Morant said. “I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”

Many NBA coaches and star players have spoken out about gun violence and safety for years. Last season, the Golden State Warriors won the championships and spoke at the White House about firearm safety. Although it looked like Morant did not break any rules, like bringing a firearm to his locker, in his videos he was careless with what he did. On May 13th, one of Morant’s friends recorded a video of him waving a gun as he rode in a vehicle.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver thought that Morant’s behavior was concerning.

“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning,” Silver said.

There have been gun-related incidents in the past for example, when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton threatened each other with guns in the locker room. Arenas received a 50-game suspension, while Crittenton received a 38-game suspension. Arenas took lightly of the situation resulting in a suspension for more games. Although Morant is a young star player, he needs to be punished for reckless behavior.