It's been over two years since Ja Morant was hit with two separate suspensions for gun-related incidents. In March of 2023, he flaunted a gun on Instagram Live while at a Denver strip club, resulting in an eight-game suspension. Just a few months later, he was suspended for 25 more games after posing with a gun during another livestream.
“In the end, I feel like it made me better,” Morant said upon his return. ”I feel like I learned some stuff about myself that I did during that process. Very eye-opening. It kind of gave me a new look on life. How I go about my days. How I carry myself.”
According to DJ Akademiks, however, the athlete wasn't exactly shy about showing off his weapons before getting suspended. During a recent stream, the internet personality recalled Celina Powell showing him Morant's finsta, which left him in shock.
"She showed me the finsta of all these famous guys," he explained, as seen in a clip shared by Akademiks TV on X. "She showed me Ja Morant's finsta. Ja Morant had a gun all up on his finsta, I swear. This is before he got suspended, and I remember saying, 'What the f*ck?'"
Ja Morant Gun Incident
"Obviously, he probably stopped because of the NBA," Ak continued. "But this is this private network where I guess even rappers feel the need to not have a picture-perfect image and want to be able to showcase sh*t."
While Morant says his suspension changed him for the better, some have their doubts. This includes various employees at Shotgun Willie's, the strip club where the first gun-flashing incident took place. “I don’t foresee an apology [anytime] soon,” one dancer told The New York Post in May of 2023. "He’s a boy.”
“He’s clearly begging for attention and trying to be a baller," another told the outlet. "He should be banned from all clubs and get his NBA career taken away given our country’s current circumstances on gun violence."
