Ja Morant told to reassess his priorities after latest pistol-waving incident by Gilbert Arenas

Retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas reflected on his own history with gun issues when talking about Ja Morant’s latest pistol controversy.

The Memphis Grizzlies star remains suspended by the team indefinitely from all basketball activities after he was seen waving a pistol on Instagram Live again last week.

Arenas, who was suspended indefinitely by then-NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2009-10 season, spoke to TMZ about what he saw in Morant and how he thinks the guard could change.

‘It is disappointing to see what’s been going on and the behavior is still continuing, but it’s still a young kid, right,’ Arenas said. 

‘It’s no different than seniors at frat parties that’s getting drunk and getting wasted. And if we look back on their life, they’re going to be like, “what was I even thinking at that point?” 

Gilbert Arenas used his own experience and advised Ja Morant to think about his legacy

 Ja Morant appeared on an Instagram Live video last Saturday – where he was seen with a gun

Morant (L) was in the drivers seat of a car where he was seen holding up a pistol for the camera

‘You, you know, role models really is a key to being successful. Understanding that you’re not bigger than life and understanding how to be a superstar. Right. Superstars are given the keys, but not taught how to be one. 

‘So it’s disappointing that he has to learn the hard way, and sometimes this is what happens.’

Back on Christmas of 2009, Arenas and Washington Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton drew firearms on each other regarding gambling debts. After being suspended for the rest of the season by the NBA, Arenas was sentenced to two-years probation and 30 days in a halfway house.

Arenas said that Morant has not reached out to him, but offered advice if the star guard ever wanted it. 

‘What do you want your legacy to be?,’ Arenas asked. ‘What your kids are going to Google one day?

‘I did 99 things right. I did one thing wrong. Everybody remembers the one thing. So do you want your legacy? No matter how many champions you win, how many scoring titles you win, they’re going to remember this moment in time. 

‘So you have to do a lot of scrubbing just to scrub the first part of the behavior, right? So if that’s what you’re willing to do, then let’s do it.’

In 2010, Arenas was suspended 50 games and sentenced to two years probation after threatening a teammate while Arenas was a member of the Washington Wizards

Arenas also suggested that Memphis should ‘protect’ Morant by investing in drivers & security 

‘Right now, he’s a kid. He has friends that are kids. They don’t know the importance of what’s going on, who he is. He’s just going out there, playing a game he loves and being 23.

‘He’s not being taught like LeBron James. [James] has Warren Buffett, he has Michael Jordan to go through, so he knows he learn[ed] how to move. 

‘So [Morant] has to have guidance from people who are in those situations to say, this is how you move. You move like, these are what stars move like.’

Arenas also suggested that the Grizzlies should invest in drivers and security guards, saying, ‘this is your investment. $200million, $300million, whatever you’re going to put into this kid, protect it.’