Stephen A. Smith has sent a strong message to Tee Morant, with his son Ja Morant currently under police investigation for flashing a gun at a Colorado strip club.
“Now in the case of pops, only thing, I’m not throwing any shade on somebody’s parent or anything like that,” Smith said. “I’m simply trying to highlight and illuminate to Tee Morant the importance of him being a dad.
“You raised him. You helped get him to this point. Make sure that you don’t let anybody get in the way of what he is on the verge of accomplishing. Make sure you do your part to protect him instead of joining in to have a good time like you one of his boys. You’re not one of his boys. You’re his dad.”
Tee Morant raised his son get to where he is today.
He must not let ANYONE else get in the way of what Ja is on the verge of accomplishing pic.twitter.com/3I1UTndY59
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 6, 2023
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon also called out the elder Morant.
“Tee Morant needs to look himself in the mirror and I think he needs to be honest and say, ‘Is it more important for me to be a celebrity or more important to be a supportive father?’ I think trying to do both is problematic.”
Morant’s father has embraced being in the spotlight previously and famously got into it with former NFL star Shannon Sharpe on the sidelines when the Grizzlies visited the Lakers earlier this season. His public image as an NBA dad has even drawn comparisons to LaVar Ball.
While Stephen A. and Tim MacMahon aren’t necessarily wrong, they should know that unsolicited parenting advice is very rarely well-received.
READ MORE: Steven Adams Tried to Warn Ja Morant Before Latest Gun Incident