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Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has denied liking a tweet from a fan that implies Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is trying to “act hood.”
Morant has been suspended indefinitely by the Grizzlies after making “difficult decisions and poor choices,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday. The All-Star was seen brandishing a gun while at a nightclub in a livestream on social media this past Saturday, whichg is the latest incident involving the South Carolina native.
A fan of Lillard’s let off a tweet comparing the two ballers.
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Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter at the Moda Center on February 26, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
“Notice how Dame is actually from the hood but he don’t go around acting like Ja Morant who is from the suburbs trying to act hood. Never change king @Dame_Lillard,” the user wrote.
An alleged screenshot from the Instagram account “nojumper” showing Lillard’s likes on Twitter displays the Blazers guard liking it. However, Lillard tried to nip it in the bud.
“Let em lie,” he wrote. “F— I look like liking that. I don’t care who is and is not from the “trenches” …”
JA MORANT INCIDENT CAME AFTER PLAYERS-ONLY MEETING ABOUT SHOWING ‘BETTER DISCIPLINE’ ON ROAD: REPORT
Police are looking into the incident on Saturday at the nightclub, probing to see if Morant broke any laws.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania also reported that Memphis had a players-only meeting with center Steven Adams taking charge prior to the Saturday night incident.
“There was a players-only meeting where Steven Adams, their veteran center, he spoke out about how the team needs to show better discipline on the road. How they need to stay away from going out when they’re on the road,” Charania said on Bally Sports’ “The Rally.”
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies brings the ball up court during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum on December 31, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
“From those in the room, when Steven Adams spoke out, they knew exactly who he was directing this to — it was no one other than Ja Morant. Clearly, still, Ja Morant went out in the early hours of Saturday. That video was posted with a gun and there’s questions. Was the gun his? Did he have a license? Was he traveling with the gun? Where did the gun come from? Was it a friend’s? How many other weapons were there? Is it even legal to carry a weapon in the area they were at?”
There is no timetable for Morant to return to the team, Jenkins mentioned. He is going to miss at least the next two games.
JA MORANT HAS MADE ‘DIFFICULT DECISIONS AND POOR CHOICES,’ NO TIMETABLE TO RETURN, COACH SAYS
Morant issued an apology following the Grizzlies’ decision to suspend him.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Mar 3, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) looks on in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s definitely embracing the mistakes that he’s made, but only time will tell. We’re going to support him, and we’re going to hold him accountable to make those changes,” Jenkins said, declining to lay out the exact steps Morant needed to accomplish to return to the Grizzlies.
“We love him, we want what’s best for him, we support him. It’s going to be a difficult process, but we’ve got a great group to get through this.”
There was also a Jan. 29 incident after the Grizzlies played the Indiana Pacers, where the latter claims a car, which Morant was in, was pointing red lasers into the team’s bus. They claimed the laser was coming from a firearm. An incident on the court during the game involving Morant’s father, Tee, and his friend, Davonte Pack, led to Pack being banned from home games for a year as well.
Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates with teammates after a 134-124 victory over the Utah Jazz at Moda Center on January 25, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)
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Morant and Pack also are involved in a civil lawsuit brought after an incident this past summer in which a 17-year-old alleged they assaulted him at Morant’s home. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said in January that it was “aware of the incident, and after careful review of the facts, decided that there was not enough evidence to proceed with a case.”
