Ep 106: Ja Morant: What Healing, Justice, and Repair Looks Like

Today, we’re getting into the world of professional sports. Ja Morant is a basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies who has been in the news this year for multiple incidents of misconduct and erratic behavior and was suspended from multiple NBA games, including his most recent bout of cryptic messages on social media that led to a welfare check by Tennessee police. But what we want to talk about is how we can reframe these events and their aftermath in a more liberatory, anti-oppressive way. Content note: this episode will contain discussion of guns and gun culture Listen to the full episode to hear: A brief history of Morant’s misconduct and why the morality clause in his contract matters more than whether he broke any laws How public perception and brand management shape the consequences of actions like Morant’s How systemic oppression and limited opportunities lead to athletes being upheld as role models when they shouldn’t necessarily be Why it matters that Morant is only 23 The NBA’s evolving response to gun culture in the last decade A youth development approach to handling these kinds of cases that actually supports the person in making change Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/nothowthatworks Learn more about Trudi Lebron: Website: www.trudilebron.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/trudilebron/ Learn more about Louiza “Weeze” Doran: Website: www.accordingtoweeze.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze/