‘Undisputed’ host Shannon Sharpe has hit back at a social media user who appeared to blame him for NBA star Ja Morant’s gun scandal.
Morant, 23, was suspended for at least two games on Saturday after appearing to show a gun in a shocking Instagram live video, while posing topless at a strip club in the wee hours of the morning.
The Memphis Grizzlies player made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week, with the latest scandal being his fourth recent weapon-related incident.
Sharpe had slammed Morant on his “Undisputed” show with Skip Bayless on Thursday morning after the ringleader faced multiple allegations of violence and threats.
The former NFL player had warned Morant to “move differently” after being the subject of negative reports.
“He describes he’s something he’s not,” Sharpe said. ‘Normally guys who have, they like, ‘Okay, I’m cool. I did it. I’m doing well.’ Guys who haven’t want to project they’re good. I don’t get along with Ja, he backtracks.
“Ja, just move differently bruh, that’s the only advice,” Sharpe continued. “I would never give you advice on how to play basketball, but I would try to give you advice on how to move. Let someone else’s lesson be your lesson.
However, after news of Morant’s latest controversy broke on Saturday, a social media user appeared to accuse Sharpe of shaming the guard into behaving worse.
“That’s why I didn’t think Shannon Sharpe should have shamed Ja like he did because people like Ja just act more stupid when you do them like that,” they wrote.
Sharpe fired back sarcastically, quoting tweeting the message and writing: ‘Now is it my fault Ja acting like this? Got it’
Sharpe also stirred the pot on Saturday morning after Morant’s early morning Instagram Live.
Taking to Twitter, he joked: “Did anything interesting happen while I was sleeping last night?” Fill me up on Twitter’
Sharpe has already been involved in a notable altercation this season with members of Morant’s entourage, including Ja’s father, Tee Morant.
Sharpe was involved in a verbal confrontation with the Memphis players at halftime, which stemmed from the former tight end shouting at Grizzlies veteran Dillon Brooks as the players made their way to the locker room.
Memphis center Steven Adams appeared to take offense and confronted Sharpe, 54, who refused to back down, leading to Sharpe being restrained by security.
In the Instagram clip on Saturday, which was shared widely on Twitter immediately after it was posted to her page, Morant dances topless in a strip club, before appearing to raise a gun to the side of her head.
Hours later, it was revealed the incident was being investigated by the NBA, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania later reported that Morant had been banned for “at least two games” by the Grizzlies during that the investigation into the incident is continuing.
He went on to add that the Grizzlies said Morant “will be out of the franchise at least Sunday at the Clippers and Tuesday at the Lakers.”
Hours later, Morant released a statement justifying his actions and explaining that he would be taking time off from the game to work on his well-being.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” he said. “I’m sorry to my family, my teammates, my coaches, my fans, my partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down.
“I will take time to get support and work on learning better ways to manage stress and my overall well-being.”
In the background of the video, topless women can be seen dancing, while Morant laughs with his friends.
The tasteless clip is – incredibly – the fourth recent gun-related controversy involving the young NBA star, who earns $12,119,000 a year.
Morant was sued in September for allegedly punching a Tennessee teenager in the face during a pickup game, but the NBA star claims he was acting in self-defense.
New police interview details obtained by The Washington Post reveal the 17-year-old told detectives from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office that the playmaker hit him ’12 to 13 times’, adding that Morant’s friend had hit him another ‘four or five times.’
The teenager claimed that when he got up to leave after the fight, Morant walked into his house and came out with a gun.
Morant allegedly had the gun visible in his trouser waistband and had his hand on the gun.
The 17-year-old complainant claimed he was playing basketball with Morant when the two got into an argument, which quickly escalated. He admits throwing a basketball at Morant and “accidentally” hitting the 6-foot-2 guard in the face.
Morant and his friend allegedly responded by punching the 17-year-old ‘with a clenched fist, knocking him to the ground’ and leaving him with a ‘big knot’ in the side of his head, according to a police report by deputies . who said they observed the boy’s injuries.
Morant ‘continued to stick him while he was on the ground’ as another person joined in to punch the teenager, who likened the punches to ‘an MMA fight’.
Morant reportedly admitted punching the 17-year-old, but told police he did so in self-defense. According to the former Murray State star, the plaintiff also “verbally threatened” and said he was “going to light (Morant’s) house”.
Morant said “he and his family were frightened by the statement.”
In a disconcerting incident just days after the report was published, Morant sparked even more controversy – this time during an NBA game – when he celebrated with a gun after seeing a teammate shoot at three points.
The unsavory moment happened Wednesday night as the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Houston Rockets, with Morant watching from the bench as Desmond Bane drained a three-point effort past his teammates.
Morant got fired up by the shot and celebrated by pretending to pull a gun on Bane as he ran across the floor in defense.
Morant was also involved in a separate incident at a Memphis mall last summer, after the New York Post reported that the security chief told police that Morant had ‘threatened’ him during a an altercation in the parking lot.
Morant’s mother reportedly had an argument with a mall shoe store employee and she called her son who arrived shortly after with a group of “up to nine people”.
According to the police report, Morant and his friends refused to leave the parking lot when confronted by the mall’s security manager.
The police arrived and a “verbal confrontation” reportedly escalated before someone in Morant’s entourage shoved the security chief in the face.
“As the group left the scene… Ja Morant said, ‘Let me know what time he gets off,'” police wrote in the report.
Additionally, there was an unsavory incident after the Grizzlies’ game with the Pacers on Jan. 29, when acquaintances of Ja Morant “aggressively clashed” with members of the Indiana roving band – and pointed a red laser on them.
The Athletic said Morant was riding with his friend Davonte Pack and another person in an SUV when a red laser was pointed at the Pacers bus.
Two people who spoke to the publication anonymously said they believed the laser was attached to a gun, while a nearby Indiana security guard claimed “it’s 100% gun”. However, it has not been confirmed that the laser was attached to a weapon.
The incident led to a league investigation and appears to have shaken those involved.
“We felt we were in grave danger,” said a person present.