“Follow Mhe, I Follow Back,” says the old account of the now megastar Ja Morant in a childlike way, but it gets problem after that as adolescent innocence gives way to a fixation with drug money and the “thug life.”
Memes and gags followed the discovery of “soexclusive12,” Morant’s Instagram middle school account.
Created in 2013, when the Grizzlies point guard would have been only 14, the old Instagram account was discovered by internet sleuths in the wake of a series of bad behavior incidents by Morant reported in the media. Morant’s critics, which include former NBA greats have lashed at him calling his behavior “disgraceful,” and accusing him of trying to be a “wanna-be gangster” and “fake thug.”
The account has everything: bad grammar and spelling, hilarity and cringe; and the internet cannot get enough of it.
The first photo on the account is captioned, “Drug money Can Buy Wht Thy Wnt…”
Another post is captioned “high af.”
“Who gon love yhu like mhe? NOBODY”
What is also evident from the stash of old captions and photos is how a young Morant was developing a problematic and worrying fascination for drugs, the thug life, and bad-boy behavior, and his guardians failed to pay attention to these patterns, which he continues to exhibit well into his 20s.
Twenty-three-year-old Ja Morant, the Grizzles super-star, has courted widespread condemnation and criticism after a series of unsavory actions, which includes reportedly punching a teenager in the face and posting a video of him on Instagram Live flexing a gun in a strip club after a game against the Denver Nuggets.
Morant is currently under an eight-match suspension and is seeking counseling to help him overcome behavioral challenges. He has apologized to fans for his actions.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis, and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
