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The NBA's 25-game suspension of Ja Morant does not just affect the Memphis Grizzlies. There are many dominoes that could fall from this public shaming, including the loss of endorsement and sponsorship deals.
Morant's most lucrative partnership might remain intact, however. Nike issued an official statement in response to the league's punishment, standing behind one of its top athletes. “We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court,” the apparel behemoth said, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
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Nike's loyalty to Morant is hardly a surprise, given that the company sent its own message to the 23-year-old star when he initially came under national scrutiny for allegedly wielding a gun on an Instagram Live. It was Morant's second incident involving a firearm– he was suspended eight games for waiving one at a Denver nightclub back in March–, prompting Nike to remove all of his new sneakers from its website.
The company obviously deems all of the damage control as sufficient and is not ready to terminate this business relationship. Ja Morant is a marketing nightmare right now, but that could change in an instant. A true redemption arc that sees the electric point guard return, stay out of trouble and lead Memphis to a deep postseason run would make for quite the new Nike campaign.
The fact of the matter is, all of that hypothetical triumph can be spun into Morant overcoming his personal demons. And few things sell as well as a good comeback story. There is a long way to go until that tale could be written, though.
