“Y’all gave him $200 million, you expect him to be responsible?” – Lil Wayne drops cynical remarks on Ja Morant
Ja Morant was suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies once again after an Instagram Live video appeared online of him flashing a gun. Morant was suspended in March after a similar video was posted on his Instagram account showing Morant flashing a gun while at a Denver nightclub.
Hip-hop legend Lil Wayne was a guest on the All the Smoke Podcast and had a few comments on the Morant situation offering a different perspective:
“Don’t fall into the trap that you see from these people on TV. They say, 'He ain’t no thug, he ain’t in the streets, he ain’t about that.' Do you know that boy? Cause I don’t."
The rapper was referencing how many in the media are saying Morant does not have a bad background and he is not involved in gang activity. Many were calling Morant’s actions stupid and not of a violent nature.
Wayne said:
“I know him from jumping and dunking. I started paying attention to him during his last year of college. He comes from a town of 3,000 people. And y'all gave him 200 million dollars. I just said a town with 3,000 people. And you expect him to be responsible?”
Ja Morant comes from the small town of Dalzell, South Carolina. He attended and played basketball at the small school of Murray State.
Wayne went on to say that Morant’s actions are not unexpected. The rapper can relate as a young and upcoming star who suddenly received insane amounts of wealth:
“We are tripping then. We tripping. If we expect him to be responsible. That is magic. I come from a nice, well-raised family and a beautiful mother. Things were nice, my mom worked to make sure everything around me was nice and I still was a knucklehead."
Morant remains suspended and the league office has not issued a punishment.
Ja Morant's contract details
Ja Morant is currently on a five-year, $194.3 million contract extension. It can be raised to $231.4 million if Morant is selected to an All-NBA team. He has an average annual salary of $38.8 million.
He also is on a $12 million deal with Nike. The massive shoe company issued a statement in March during Morant’s first suspension and did not cancel his deal. They are set to release Morant’s first signature shoe this year.
Nike has not issued a statement after the most recent video. Rumors and reports expect Nike to pause its relationship with Ja Morant. He has not lost his deal yet but the shoe brand removed his sneakers from their app and online store.