Days After the Ja Morant Gun Controversy, Kyrie Irving Gets a Harsh Clap Back from NBA Insider: “He Brought All of It on Himself”

Published 03/22/2023, 8:10 AM EDT

Ja Morant has been the subject of public scrutiny for the past few days. The Memphis Grizzlies star garnered a flurry of negative attention when he displayed a gun during an IG Live session at a club. Since then, Morant’s actions have been condemned by several big names in the NBA world. However, there have also been a select few, including the Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, who gave Morant the benefit of the doubt. However, Irving was soon publicly slammed by an NBA Insider for backing Morant despite being aware of his actions.

Ja Morant had also been in hot waters after reports of his violent dispute with a 17-year-old teen surfaced a while ago. But that was not all. The incident occurred just four days after Morant and his group allegedly threatened the head of security at a Mall in Memphis. After Morant was accused of other similar incidents, Skip Bayless lost his cool when Kyrie Irving tried to claim that the people were overreacting to Ja’s actions.

Skip Bayless slams Kyrie Irving for defending Ja Morant

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It has been over two weeks since the gun incident took place and Ja Morant has missed nine games as a result of the consequences of his action. While the Memphis Grizzlies had initially suspended him for at least two games, the NBA extended the suspension for eight more games after conducting an investigation. After the recent game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Grizzlies, Irving was asked to give his thoughts on the gun controversy.

There's an overload of judgement? No there’s not! Ja did that, he brought all of it on himself. More @undisputed, now on FS1. https://t.co/1OEtG6xgH3
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 21, 2023

Irving stated that he felt ‘there was an overload of judgment on Ja’. The Mavericks star’s comment did not sit well with FS1 host Skip Bayless who responded to the Mavs star’s reaction in the latest episode of Skip and Shannon: UNDISPUTED. While Bayless agreed that social media often judges people a little too harshly, that was the only point Irving and Bayless could agree on.

During his discussion with co-host Shannon Sharpe, Bayless brought up the number of incidents Morant was involved in lately and talked about the young star’s choice to ‘dangle the gun’ during an IG Live. He said, “It’s disturbing what Kyrie brought up…There’s an overload of judgement? No, there’s not. We’re all rooting for him and he says he’s gonna go get help, and then I don’t think he really went and got help. And I’m cool with that if he’s good.”

Bayless concluded his point by saying, “Now you’re on the clock. You’re back but you better? That’s not an overload of judgement. That’s just…Ja did that! Ja did all of it. He brought all of it on himself.“

After Suspending Ja Morant, Grizzlies Taking Huge Steps to Prevent Strip Club Mishaps and ‘Curtail Nightlife Habits’: Report

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What did Irving say?

Last year, Kyrie Irving found himself in a pickle when he made some controversial comments which supposedly had antisemitic undertones. The incident put a huge dent in his reputation and cost him his Nike contract. Following the Mavs’ game against the Grizzlies, the media caught up to the 2016 NBA champion to pry about his opinion of the Ja Morant controversy.

Irving replied, “I don’t want to assume anything by every media member, but that’s just the way it seems for me and my perspective, which is there was an overload of judgment on Ja. There was an overload of judgment on what I had going on, and there’s usually an overload of judgment from the public court of opinion.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Kyrie Irving’s 5 Most Controversial Moments on NBA Court Amid Ugly Feud with Celtics Fans

What do you think of Irving’s stance on the gun controversy? Do you agree with Bayless? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Written by:

Siyari Debbarma is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering and previously interned at the Y-East Organization as a content writer. Siyari has played quite a bit of basketball throughout her school years, and started following the NBA last year.

Edited by:

Satagni Sikder

Days After the Ja Morant Gun Controversy, Kyrie Irving Gets a Harsh Clap Back from NBA Insider: “He Brought All of It on Himself”

Skip Bayless slams Kyrie Irving for defending Ja Morant

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What did Irving say?