Ja Morant's father Tee has been a 'major driving force' in the off-court problems which have blighted his NBA career, a Memphis Grizzlies team member claims.
Morant, 24, is currently serving a 25-game suspension without pay after he was seen brandishing firearms in two separate viral videos which sparked outrage earlier this year.
The suspension came almost one year since he put pen to paper on a five-year, $194million contract with the Grizzlies - the biggest deal in franchise history - after almost single-handedly leading them to a 22-win improvement by his third season.
Prior to the gun-waving videos, Morant had already been involved in a series of troubling incidents away from the court; including an alleged dispute at a Memphis mall in July 2022, when the point guard and friends confronted a sneaker store salesperson who had argued with his mother.
Ja Morant's father Tee has been a 'major driving force' in his off-court problems, a Memphis Grizzlies team member claims
Morant is currently serving a 25-game suspension for brandishing firearms in two separate viral videos earlier this year
Tee Morant, pictured with his son (right) and Raptors super-fan Nav Bhatia (left), is said to have contributed to his son's demise
He was also accused of striking a 17-year-old during an altercation at his house just a week later, while his acquaintances were even alleged to have pointed a red laser, potentially from a gun, at members of the Indiana Pacers' travelling party back in January.
And according to ESPN, a Grizzlies insider has claimed that Ja's father Tee is largely to blame for his recent problems.
Tee, a former high-school teammate of Hall of Famer Ray Allen, played college basketball at Claflin University, an HBCU in Orangeburg, S.C, but failed to make it into the pro leagues during his own career.
The Memphis team member alleges that the 45-year-old has seen Ja's success as a chance to 'live like he's an NBA superstar' - which has contributed to his son going off the rails away from the sport.
'Tee has been a major driving force in all of this,' the source is quoted as saying. 'He never made the NBA, but this was his chance to live like he's an NBA superstar. That's been a problem from the beginning.'
In an eye-opening report, Grizzlies chiefs are said to have picked up on no warning signs whatsoever about Morant's off-court discipline when drafting him as the No 2 overall pick back in 2019.
Yet more and more red flags began to emerge as the seasons went by - particularly in the 2021-22 campaign, when Morant and Tee would often go out drinking at some of Memphis' 'seedier establishments and strip clubs' including on nights before games.
The former college player has been accused of using his son's career as a chance to 'live like he's an NBA superstar' - (Pictured: Tee Morant with pop singer Usher in April 2022)
Tee was involved in a bust-up with NFL legend Shannon Sharpe at a Grizzlies game in January
When Memphis played away from home, the former Murray State star would reportedly head out for the evening with friends and family he had flown in on a private jet, foot the bill at the establishments they visited and sometimes turn up hungover or late to team meetings the next day.
Tee was also involved in a bust-up with former NFL star Shannon Sharpe as tempers flared on court at a Grizzlies game back in January.
'There was no discipline. They felt like they could do anything they wanted,' another source is quoted as saying.
'In my opinion, the enabling was out of control. Just constant. Definitely s*** was swept under the rug.'
Morant was able to practice with his Grizzlies teammates earlier this month after it was announced he would be allowed to travel with the team while he sits out preseason contests and games taking place more or less over the first quarter of the regular season.
He is eligible to return on December 19, when the Grizzlies play the New Orleans Pelicans.
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