Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant has a rather bold statement he would like to make ahead of the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida.
The league will allow players to replace their respective names with social causes or statements on the back of their jerseys.
However, Morant apparently wants to put a blunt message for police forces in the wake of social unrest and protest against police brutality.
Ja Morant has a jersey statement in mind. đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/rkN3iNemLF
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 28, 2020
The phrase is anti-police in nature, with “12” representing police drug units.
Aside from the numerous incidents of police violence perpetrated against Black Americans as of late, numerous studies — including one from Michigan State University — show Black people are far more likely to be wrongfully convicted for drug crimes.
For his part, the Grizzlies rising star does not seem to be playing around with this idea. He indicated as much on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1277332966319013893
The Grizzlies rookie has not been afraid to make his voice heard amid a month of tension with respect to racial injustice in America.
Ja Morant is already taking up the mantle of a leader in the Grizzlies locker room, and he is also hoping to potentially play spoiler in Orlando.
Memphis will head to Orange County as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They open their eight-game slate with a match-up against the ninth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers on July 31.
Although the Grizzlies cannot move up to the seventh seed — they are seven games back of the Dallas Mavericks — they have the advantage of needing just one win in a potential play-in tournament in order to move into the playoff bracket.
Fans could very well see Morant and LeBron square off in the first round. Whether the NBA allows Ja to have profane language on the back of his jersey is another story.
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