Stephen Jackson is weighing in with his thoughts about Ja Morant, who found himself receiving even more unwanted attention this week when photos of his trip to a Colorado strip club surfaced online. The pics, which were obtained by the New York Post, show the Memphis Grizzlies receiving a lap dance from a stripper at the Shotgun Willi’s establishment where he ended up dropping $50,000 during the two-night bender, according to the publication’s sources.
The following night, Morant returned to the strip club where he would flash a gun during an Instagram Live session, which has since landed him in a lot of trouble with not just the NBA but also his sponsors, with Coca-Cola having reportedly pulled their Powerade ad featuring Morant amid the scandal. But in a video posted by Jackson over the weekend, the former basketball star is standing by Morant, saying he’s getting too much criticism for his recent behavior.
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“If anybody from my area, that’s trying to talk down on Ja. 80 percent of us would have been in the media or if we played in the clout-chasing era,” Jackson expressed in the video posted to social media. “Because all of us was partying in the strip clubs doing the same Ja was doing and 10 times worse.” The 44-year-old then appeared to denounce the club’s handling of the controversy and implies that the venue was more or less looking to capitalize off the drama involving Morant, which is why most artists and athletes tend to stick with strip clubs where their privacy is actually being respected.
Following news of his suspension from the NBA, Coca-Cola, which owns the sports drink Powerade, reportedly pulled their advert with Morant, signifying that the sponsorship deal may have been paused for the time being. It’s unclear whether the company has cut ties with South California entirely, but according to Hypebeast, the one-minute advert of Morant endorsing Powerade has been taken down from all of the firm’s social media pages.
Ja morant man.. your situation keeps getting worse.
— Harrison #wearethevalley (@The_rug123) March 12, 2023
Coca-Cola is said to have thrown a lot of money at the campaign, but it seems the negative attention surrounding Morant has made them was to steer away from the controversy — particularly with leaked photos of him at the strip club making their way onto the internet this weekend. The company has yet to release a statement on its future working relationship with the athlete.
Meanwhile, Nike, who is one of Morant’s biggest sponsors, made it clear in their own press release earlier this week that despite the gun-flashing incident last weekend when Morant hopped on IG Live and waved his pistol at the camera, they were not terminating its contract with the NBA player. “We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support the prioritization of his well-being,” they said.