Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has refused to like a tweet from a fan that implied Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant was trying to “act hood.”
Morant has been suspended indefinitely by the Grizzlies after making “difficult decisions and poor choices,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday. The All-Star was seen brandishing a gun at a nightclub in a livestream on social media last Saturday, the latest incident involving the South Carolina native.
A Lillard fan left a tweet comparing the two bowlers.
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Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter at Moda Center on February 26, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
“Note how Dame is actually from the hood but doesn’t act like Ja Morant who is from the suburbs trying to do the hood. Never replace the king @Dame_Lillard,” the user wrote.
A purported screenshot from the Instagram account “Nojumper” shows Lillard’s likes on Twitter that the Blazers guard loves it. However, Lillard tried to nip it in the bud.
“Let them lie” He wrote. “F— I’m loving it. I don’t care who’s from the “Trenches” and not . . .”
JA Morant incident comes after players meeting about showing ‘better discipline’ on the road: report
Police are investigating the incident at the nightclub on Saturday, looking into whether Morant broke any laws.
Shams Charnia of the Athletics also reported that Memphis had a players-only meeting with center Steven Adams before Saturday night’s incident.
“There was only one players’ meeting where their veteran center Steven Adams talked about how the team needs to show better discipline on the road. How they should avoid going out when they are on the road. It is,” Charnia said on Bali Sports’ The Rally.
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies brings the ball up the court during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum on December 31, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
“From the people in the room, when Steven Adams spoke, they knew exactly who he was directing — it was none other than Ja Morant. Obviously, though, Ja Morant early Saturday morning. Went out. That video. Posted with the gun and questions. Was the gun his? Did he have a license? Was he traveling with the gun? Where did the gun come from? Did it belong to a friend? More How many weapons were there? Is it even legal? To carry weapons in the area where they were?”
There is no timetable for Morant’s return to the team, Jenkins said. He is going to miss at least the next two matches.
Jay Morant made ‘tough decisions and bad choices’, coach says, no timetable for return
Morant issued an apology following the Grizzlies’ decision to suspend him.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said. “I apologize to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time to get help and work on learning how to do better. Coping with stress and my overall well-being.
March 3, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) looks on during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s definitely embracing the mistakes that he’s made, but only time will tell. We’re going to support him, and we’re going to hold him accountable for those changes,” Jenkins said of the right move. Morant said, refusing to. Needed to finish to get back at the Grizzlies.
“We love him, we want what’s best for him, we support him. It’s going to be a difficult process, but we have a great group to get through it.”
There was also a January 29 incident after the Grizzlies played the Indiana Pacers, where the latter claimed that a car, containing Morant, was pointing red lasers at the team bus. They claimed that the laser was coming from a weapon. An on-court incident during the game involving Morant’s father, Tee, and his friend, Devonte Peck, also banned Peck from home games for a year.
Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates with teammates after a 134-124 win over the Utah Jazz at the Moda Center on January 25, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)
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Morant and Peck are also involved in a civil lawsuit brought after an incident last summer in which a 17-year-old alleged they assaulted him at Morant’s home. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said in January that it was “aware of the incident, and after a careful review of the facts, decided there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.”
