Kyrie Irving pushed back against those who have been critical of Ja Morant following the controversial social media video in which the Grizzlies star flashed a gun.
Morant returned to the Grizzlies earlier this week after serving an eight-game suspension following the incident at a nightclub near Denver on March 4. Irving described the criticism toward Morant as an "overload of judgment."
Iriving made the comments after the Mavs played the Grizzlies on Monday, with Morant watching the game from the sidelines.
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"I believe any hardship in life builds character," Irving said, via The Athletic.
Irving has certainly dealt with his fair share of criticism throughout this season and served a suspension in November that ultimately lasted for eight games after he posted a link to an antisemitic film.
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Irving initially declined to apologize. But after the Nets suspended him, Irving held a news conference on Nov. 3 and said, "I just want to offer my deep apologies to all those who are impacted over these last few weeks."
The 30-year-old also missed games last season due to New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Irving was vocal about his decision to not take any of the vaccine shots and was therefore only permitted to play in road games while the mandate was in place.
Irving, who now plays for the Mavericks, pointed out the challenges Morant faces because he is a public figure.
"When you're dealing with particular hardships in the public eye, especially with the media being attracted to just keeping up with what we're doing, or what's the next kind of grab or story," Irving noted.
"I don't want to assume anything by every media member, but that's just the way it seems for me and my perspective, which is there was an overload of judgment on Ja. There was an overload of judgment on what I had going on, and there's usually an overload of judgment from the public court of opinion."
Morant is expected to practice with the team on Tuesday, and he would likely return to action on Wednesday in a home game against the Rockets.
Dillon Brooks said Morant apologized to the team.
"He's taking ownership of it, which is a great thing for his growth, for his basketball career, for everything," Brooks said on Monday. "You're going to see a different Ja out there, who's consistent every single night and is going to give us the energy that we need to be a top team in the West."
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Prior to the NBA handing down an eight-game suspension, Morant met with Commissioner Adam Silver. The league said Morant would not be paid during his time away and that the suspension was due to "conduct detrimental to the league."
The NBA also did not conclude that Morant had the weapon in his possession on the team's flight to Denver.
Law enforcement in Colorado declined to charge Morant with a crime after they conducted an independent investigation.
Prior to the nightclub incident, Morant was involved in several controversies. In an interview with ESPN's Jalen Rose, Morant took responsibility for his actions.
"I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes," Morant told ESPN. "But in the future, I'm going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative that everybody got."
The Grizzlies (44-27) are currently in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference standings.
