I’m a basketball fan. As a kid, I knew all the players in the NBA, many of the teams in college, and some of the guys playing internationally. Over time, my obsession dissipated with life and responsibilities. Until my now 13 year old developed an interest.
I’ve watched with deep sadness as the story of Ja Morant unfolds. Hopefully, this will be a small blip in an otherwise stellar career. But for right now, the fact that he can jump out of the gym doesn’t protect him from the consequences of his actions.
How do we live in a world where people freak out about a young man having a gun, but no one is bothered that he just spend the night partying at a strip club, a business that thrives on pandering to the worst aspects of humanity? The bigger issue is celebrity insulates until it doesn’t. And you’ve got to ask “how did he not know?”
The options are only a few
- He was too drunk to know what he was doing.
- He knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t care. This was testing the water to see how far he could push the envelop.
- He knew and was crying for help. The pressure was getting too much and this was his exit.
Only Ja knows. And depending on his state of mind, he might not even remember.
I never published this during the crisis. Now, 3 months later, Morant didn’t make the All-NBA team. his move cost him $39 million dollars. One moment didn’t age well.
Its easy to criticize. But simplifying a person to either or, celebrity or “normal”, victim or victimizer, its too easy. People are more complex than this simple definitions. I hope Ja has the right poeple in his life. I hope you do too.