Paul Pierce is someone who played for a very long time in the NBA. Overall, he got to see a lot during his time in the league. Furthermore, he saw plenty of players engage in off-court controversies that changed the course of their careers. Of course, we are starting to see that right now with none other than Ja Morant. Over the past week or so, Morant has been accused of pointing a gun at a teenager. Moreover, he was accused of threatening a mall cop. He even brandished a gun on Instagram Live while at a strip club.
Consequently, the Memphis Grizzlies have suspended Ja Morant indefinitely. At first, he was only going to miss two games. However, after talking with Morant, they decided to increase the punishment. All of this has led to a lot of discourse about Morant and his future in the league. There are a lot of people who feel as though Ja is being reckless, and is ruining his career. Paul Pierce, however, feels a different way. In his tweet below, Pierce recounts his own personal experience and how you never know what a player might be going through.
Paul Pierce Speaks
"I don’t care what y’all say about Ja I carried a gun after I was stabbed y’all don’t know what he going thru everyone got something to say until u really know what’s really going on in someone life when u black and rich u a target period," Pierce said. As Pierce explains, during his early years with the Celtics, he was attacked. This left him feeling vulnerable, and it led to him purchasing a weapon to defend himself. Although, there is a clear difference between self-defense and flashing weapons on your Instagram story.
Either way, Pierce does make a good point. There is no telling how Morant feels right now, and those around him are going to need to step in and help him. Regardless, this is a very distressing situation. You never want to see a player put themselves in a bad position like this. Hopefully, Morant is able to get it together, sooner rather than later.
[Via]