What if Ja Morant loses Memphis?

The story of Icarus in Greek Mythology is a cautionary tale for anyone who feels they are invincible. For even those who have the ability to fly – whether it be because of wings made of wax or elite athleticism – can fall if they get too close to the Sun.

In Ja Morant’s case the Sun is metaphorical, of course – no man is capable of such a leap. But for a player who seemed last year to be the next great American-born basketball player to be known by just his first name like Kobe and LeBron before him, there’s no denying the Icarus comparison feels apt at this moment in time.

In ESPN’s latest analysis of the Ja Morant situation by Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon, which you can read in its entirety here, there is little new information shared regarding Morant’s transgressions. Be they legal, irresponsible, or in between, the missteps and audacious arrogance are as apparent as they were the previous times they were reported over the last 18 months.

But the significance of this piece isn’t in the actions of Ja. It’s in the response from various sources – particularly “team sources” but also those outside the team but within the community of Memphis – where the key takeaways lie. These are anonymous members of the Grizzlies organization and the city’s business structure that spoke more on the perception of Morant and what has transpired this last year and a half than anyone has to this point.

And while a “source” can be anyone, that doesn’t make the significance of that particular reporting lesser. Because if one, two, or more sources speak and feel this way, it is safe to say privately that more share the same thoughts.

The focus of the article is on Morant’s rise as a rookie, and all the good that came along with him – no negative reports leading up to the NBA Draft, perhaps a bit immature but who isn’t at the age of 19? Zero red flags were detected. And early in his time in Memphis the word “humble” was used often to describe Morant and those in his circle. But as Ja flew higher and started getting recognized beyond the Grizzlies as a superstar, things changed. From the ESPN piece-

“He went from being a nice guy to every time you look up, the kid was always into it with somebody,” said one of the Memphis business owners whose establishments Morant had visited frequently. “A staff member, security, always wanting it his way. It’s just so much. I can’t say all of it. It just went bad, bro — like the way he carried himself. First, he told me he was coming with his best friend. The next thing, he started coming with an entourage. The next thing, he’s got a platinum grill in his mouth. The next thing, he’s into it with parking lot security because they won’t let him park somewhere.”

The second Memphis business owner said they’ve hosted just about every big name NBA player one could imagine. Yet, he said, Morant and his entourage became so challenging that, for the first time, the staff “hated” to see Morant and his group walk through the door. That businessperson recalled witnessing a verbal altercation where Morant and his associates “had gotten very disrespectful to a man’s wife. It got so bad that they actually started to threaten each other’s lives.”

ESPN’s Holmes and MacMahon

This is an NBA athlete who is sure to spend a significant amount of money in these establishments, and those that worked there or even owned the establishment dreaded welcoming Morant and his crew in.

How angry/frustrated would you have to be to dread making hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars when seeing someone arrive for dinner or a night out?

That’s not even the Grizzlies, of course. From the team’s perspective, these issues grew more and more – late nights, drinking and appearing hung over at meetings according to the article, and then the infamous gun-wielding videos on social media – to the point where there was no going back avoiding a lengthy suspension.

“There was no discipline,” another Grizzlies source said. “They felt like they could do anything they wanted. In my opinion, the enabling was out of control. Just constant. Definitely s— was swept under the rug.”

“When you have a superstar, you make a deal with the devil,” said a team source. “You sign up for them, and everything that comes with them.”

Holmes and MacMahon, ESPN

The Grizzlies aren’t innocent in this. They helped create the problem now threatening their season. The recognition of that isn’t groundbreaking – you can argue it’s common sense, and their role in trying to rehabilitate Ja and his image should be as large as their place in the problem. But it’s the response to all this that resonates.

The issue coming out of this latest national media attention for Morant isn’t the problem of increased legal trouble, although that could still be a concern as the article addresses. It isn’t even necessarily increased negative publicity – his biggest sponsors like Nike have stood by him to this point, and anyone outside of Memphis that disliked him after reading the article likely didn’t feel too fondly towards him before the clicked on the link.

The problem is that Ja Morant is a stumble or so away from losing more of those inside Memphis. Not just the Grizzlies…but the people that follow them that so desperately want to see him succeed.

This, from a Memphis business owner, is the glaring reality of Morant’s situation.

“I’m not against Ja. I’m just against the foolishness,” he continued. “Like, why? That’s my problem. I would love for him to become a billionaire in our city, because I know what it would mean in our city. You don’t get these kinds of draft picks every time you turn around. … At this point, he knows he’s richer than we are and he feels he’s bigger than we are … but the opportunity you have is a great one. Time is not on your side. I can only see, at the end of this thing, that he’ll have a lot of regret.”

Holmes and MacMahon, ESPN

Morant is, as Daily Memphian columnist Geoff Calkins was quoted as saying in the ESPN piece, the biggest star the city has had since Elvis Presley. The 901 has never – ever – had a player professionally the level of Morant. Ja could become one of the greatest success stories the city has ever knows.

But in this current place, the opposite seems more likely. It’s not that the course cannot be corrected – redemption is a story that Memphis is one of the best places in the world to pursue. It’s that such a path cannot be forced. It must be organic. It has to be real.

Is Ja Morant ready to choose that road? If he isn’t, the rest is irrelevant.

25-game suspensions can become season-long ones. Contracts can be voided for cause. And while Morant is an elite talent, other elite talents – like Steve Francis and Allen Iverson, as the ESPN article points out – have had their careers impacted due to their choices off the court. Ja stands to perhaps being the biggest example, the largest cautionary tale in NBA history, if he does not go back to the person he was when he first came to Memphis.

What happens if the Grizzlies, who again absolutely are part of the reason Morant finds himself in this situation due to enabling and turning a blind eye to this early on, decide Ja’s juice isn’t worth the squeeze? Trading Ja Morant should not be on the table…at this time. The value simply would not be there, and maybe never will be. But the distraction, and money connected to years, may become too much of a burden to bear. And could inhibit a Grizzlies core, that is still sturdy even without Morant in Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., from contending.

Even larger, what if it becomes the fan base – the city itself – that makes the call for such a consideration? That seems impossible right now, as many still support Morant as a fan would be expected to. But where is the line? How many mistakes without learning from the failure, how many stories of poor decision making and aggression beyond the court, is too many? What happens when not just the Grizzlies, but Memphis, isn’t there to catch Ja when he falls?

Ja Morant was supposed to be the best of Memphis and the Grizzlies franchise. There still is time for that to be how this story ends. But for now, another season approaches and Ja Morant must leave the arena two hours before opening night due to a league suspension that will hold him out until December 19th.

And Memphis must hope, between now and then and the time he is able to be around the team and those he surrounds himself with, he stops seeking out the Sun.