CREATED BY SPORTS BETTORS FOR SPORTS BETTORS
LET’S HEAR YOUR STORY
Soon, Ja Morant will emerge from a tunnel, flanked by his teammates, to walk the floor of an NBA arena for the first time in his new world.
He'll address the media and answer the same questions about his behaviors and habits that led to his eight-game suspension and treatment in Florida — likely with scripted and uncharacteristic comments.
The gloss of innocence will be gone on the first day of becoming an NBA grown-up. The days of devil-may-care mentality will be over after you've danced with the devil that is NBA mortality, and he'll probably be better for it rather than harder for it.
It's one thing to walk a dangerous line, especially in front of the public. Morant was choosing a different path than most NBA players, who are buttoned up and family-friendly. Yet, up until recently, the overall consensus was that he was innocuous, enthusiastic, and reflective of the ethos that the NBA currently celebrates – for better or worse. The uncertainty is gone for the time being.
Morant's failure is not desired by the NBA. Throwing the book at him for what "could've" occurred didn't help the league - not even the judicial system goes that far. Furthermore, it understands how significant he is to the future and the present.
The Gilbert Arenas analogy is undoubtedly something to chew on, even if it is so awful that it will damage one's teeth. But, the league determined that he did not carry a firearm into club property, a significant difference from Arenas' incident over 15 years earlier. Arenas was docked 50 games by then-commissioner David Stern, who was free to penalize him in any way he saw fit.
According to Yahoo Sports, Stephen Jackson is probably a little closer to Morant's precedent from a 2006 incident outside an Indianapolis strip club. Jackson discharged a revolver into the air in an attempt to break up a brawl and was hit by a car in the aftermath; the league decided his role was worth a five-game punishment at the start of the 2007-08 season, months after the court case had concluded.
Before moving to Dallas, Raymond Felton, then of the Knicks, pled guilty to felony firearms charges in 2014. He was suspended for four games.
The journey to Florida for "counseling" seemed more urgent, even if the phrasing was intentionally ambiguous. Even if he hasn't earned that amount of solitude, one has to wonder whether a week or two of treatment can solve whatever ails him.
If it's decision-making, being forced into the NBA's grown-up environment will undoubtedly enhance — or disclose — the work.
If it's something bigger, something more hazardous, the job will have to be twice as hard and twice as transparent. The smallest mistake will bring out a throng Morant does not want to hear from, and more crucially, a portion the NBA would want to keep at bay.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.
