Stephen A. Smith Not Buying Ja Morant’s Apology After the Announcement of His 25-Game Suspension: ‘You Already Lied’

By Ahmad AustinJun 16th, 2023, 4:10 pm
 

According to Stephen A. Smith, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is in a situation where words mean little.

The 23-year-old issued an apology Friday after the league announced it would be suspending him for 25 games for his second incident involving a gun on Instagram Live. He made a similar apology the first time it happened in March.

“Ja Morant, nobody believes you, bro. Nobody believes you,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “I don’t say that flippantly. I’m a fan of Ja Morant. He’s a superstar that I want this game to celebrate for years and years to come.

“The fact of the matter is, Ja Morant — and I’m speaking directly to Ja Morant and his family — the reason why you’re not believed is because you already lied. And that statement that Adrian Wojnarowski — the ultimate insider — just read on the national airwaves that he received from your agent … It sounds somewhat similar to what you said on camera months ago with your first suspension.”

In a statement released by the NBA, Commissioner Adam Silver said Morant’s return to the court will require him to “formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

“You’re at a show-and-prove point,” Smith said. “We know what you can do on the basketball court, but now it’s a show-and-prove element when it comes to your character because of the mistakes you made. You not only looked Adam Silver in the face, you went on camera — on national TV getting interviewed by Jalen Rose — and you clearly lied.”

“No one believes you,” he said again. “We hope you’re telling the truth. But if you ask somebody to bet money that the veracity and truthfulness of your words are something we should embrace, ain’t nobody betting money on that, bro.”

Watch above via ESPN

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