NBA fans troll Powerade for announcing partnership with Ja Morant: "Powerade is laser focused on eliminating the competition"
Ja Morant is the new partner of Powerade, a popular sports drink. The Coca-Cola Company is launching a new marketing campaign for the drink and the Memphis Grizzlies star will be its face.
Choosing Morant was a no-brainer since he's one of the most electrifying players. However, the company may have made the wrong move due to all the controversies that the young player has been involved in.
Morant was accused of assaulting a teenage boy and his postgame incident against the Indiana Pacers didn't help his case either. Despite this, he landed a big endorsement deal that may last for a couple of years.
Basketball fans made fun of Ja Morant's Powerade deal
Powerade was created 35 years ago and its main competitor is Gatorade, a sports drink manufactured by PepsiCo. With a tradition of nearly six decades, Gatorade has gotten a lion's share of the US market.
The Coca-Cola Company picked Morant to be its face in a huge marketing campaign that aims to dethrone its competitors. The two-time All-Star will appear in commercials, billboards, events and other marketing means.
Due to Ja Morant's recent controversies, many basketball fans made fun of the new endorsement deal he signed. One Twitter user referred to the laser incident the 23-year-old guard was involved in earlier this year.
@TheNBACentral @DamichaelC Looks like Powerade is laser focused on eliminating the competition
Powerade signed Morant to an endorsement deal shortly before it was revealed that the Grizzlies guard had a firearm during his altercation with the 17-year-old boy. Morant allegedly flashed his gun at the teenage boy.
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The sports drinks company definitely did not like this report. However, the deal with the former Rookie of the Year was already inked.
@TheNBACentral @DamichaelC Impeccable timing by Powerade announcing this today 😂
@TheNBACentral @DamichaelC Have they checked the news today
Some people immediately think of a gun incident when Morant's name is brought up, which is a bad look for both him and Powerade.
@TheNBACentral @DamichaelC The dude who is just in the news for pulling a gun on a kid?
They ain’t gonna pull these ads?
The first Powerade commercial with the Memphis Grizzlies superstar has already been released. It features Morant and a young boy who plays a younger version of the athletic point guard.
Considering that Ja allegedly beat up a teenage boy, some social media users made fun of the commercial.
@TheNBACentral @DamichaelC But instead Ja beat up the child playing basketball in the commercial.
The report also claims that Ja Morant flashed his gun at the boy, which made the situation much worse. Unsurprisingly, many Twitter users reacted to this as well.
@NBAMemes How Ja treat kids who beat him at basketball https://t.co/a3PMlzJByN
Morant compared to Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas faced serious consequences for bringing his firearm to the locker room. Two years later, Agent Zero was out of the NBA. While Morant did not bring his gun to the locker room, some fans compared him to Hibachi.
The two-time All-Star is one of the most amazing players in the league, but he's unfortunately not a role model.
@NBAMemes The new agent zero
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Morant's latest endorsement deal is reportedly massive. However, he's walking on thin ice and will have to stay out of trouble if he wants to avoid harsher consequences.