Memphis Grizzlies Star 'Portrays Something That He's Not,' Shannon Sharpe Says

Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is easily one of the most recognizable stars in the NBA today thanks to his explosive athletic ability, but Shannon Sharpe believes Morant is too distracted by being something he is not.

The Super Bowl-winning tight end-turned-analyst discussed Morant's current situation on a segment of the Thursday, March 2 episode of "Undisputed" with co-host Skip Bayless.

"You got Ja [Morant] who has a $200 million contract from Memphis. He's got a signature shoe from Nike. Five hours after the launch of his new endorsement deal with Powerade. Skip, he portrays that he's something that he's not," Sharpe said during the broadcast.

"Normally, guys that have [everything], they're like 'okay, I'm cool, I made it, I'm good.' Guys that haven't made it want to project that they're good. I don't get [this] with Ja–he's hustling backwards. You're supposed to want to get out of that environment. Leave that behind like that ain't me. Ja, you just gotta move differently."

Morant has been in the spotlight outside of the court for multiple reasons, but the latest one from The Washington Post provided some disturbing details about his actions.

According to previously unreleased reports by The Washington Post, Morant had been accused of "repeatedly" punching a 17-year-old boy and threatened him with a gun last summer and the player filed a police report, claiming that he acted in self-defense.

In early February, Morant was then involved in an investigation about someone in the player's vehicle pointing the laser sight of a gun towards members of the Indiana Pacers after their January 29 game.

It should also be noted that Morant's father, Tee Morant, and Sharpe had a run-in during a Los Angeles Lakers game that was heavily publicized at the time.

"Ja, you can't put yourself in this situation. People lie. People have been known to lie. And I'm not saying this young man is lying, but sometimes celebrities or entertainers find themselves in situations where people lie because Ja has a name and everybody knows who he is and they know what he has," Sharpe later added.

Sharpe would know full well what he is talking about as he has seen both the best and worst of people thanks to his 13-year NFL career and is giving the 23-year-old star the best advice that he can share.

There is no doubt that Morant is one of the cornerstones of the NBA in the current generation, but if he cannot find a way to go beyond his off-court issues, his career will be a tainted one when it is all said and done.