Patrick Beverley believes Hip-Hop is to blame for Ja Morant’s recent controversies.
During a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast with Rome, the Chicago Bulls guard took a crack at analyzing the Nike ambassador’s gun incident and decided that rap music contributed to his concerning behavior.
“The music we listen to is real big, what the rappers are [saying], it’s crazy to say this, but Charleston White was absolutely correct,” Beverley, 34, expressed. “The music we listen to and how that is the new brand. The music say ‘I keep [a gun], I do this, and I do that.’ That turns into, ‘I need a [gun].’ I think it’s the music, man. I ain’t bashing the music cus I’m listening to that sh*t too. I’m not up at 9 a.m. listening to it though, I’m gameday listening to it.”
“It’s not a part of my life. It’s a part of a lot of people I know though, so I can relate. My homie used to do that, my homie got locked up for doing that, or my homie in jail for doing that, or my homie died from doing that.”
Ja recently revealed in an interview with ESPN that the gun he had in the Colorado nightclub wasn’t his.
“The gun wasn’t mine,” he asserted. “It’s not who I am. I don’t condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I’ve made a bad mistake. I can see the image that I’ve painted over myself with my recent mistakes. In the future I’m gonna show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about, and change this narrative.”
Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, met with the 23-year-old before his interview, giving the Memphis Grizzlies star an eight-game suspension. Silver explained that the decision was influenced by the player’s actions, which he deemed as “irresponsible, reckless, and potentially very dangerous.”
“It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him,” Silver said.
Ja Morant can resume NBA activities on Monday (March 20) during the Grizzlies’ exhibition against the Dallas Mavericks.