The video is depressing.

We can agree on that, right?

Not just the substance of it — Ja Morant displaying what appears to be a gun in a nightclub — but the fact that it is from Morant’s own Instagram Live account.

Meaning, this is what Morant apparently wanted the world to see. This is what he wanted to project.

Grizzlies announce Ja Morant will be ‘away from team’ for at least two games

In the wake of a TMZ story about Morant allegedly beating up a high school basketball player, in the wake of a story in The Athletic about Morant and his friends getting into a dispute with the Indiana Pacers, in the wake of a Washington Post story about Morant and his friends allegedly intimidating a security guard at Wolfchase Mall, Morant wanted you to see him partying — with a gun.

It’s an unmistakeable middle finger to those who would tell Morant how to live his life.

So for those who have been hoping that Morant has learned some hard lessons about the responsibilities and scrutiny of fame, I think we can say those lessons aren’t yet sinking in.

To be clear: The Daily Memphian didn’t independently verify the authenticity of the video but ESPN has reported that the NBA is investigating. And the Grizzlies have announced that Morant “will be away from the team for at least the next two games.”

Ja Morant apologizes for gun video amid NBA inquiry

The Athletic has reported Morant’s absence is actually a suspension. Let’s hope that it is also — at long last — the start of a new, more introspective Morant. Because the video from Saturday morning comes off as a sad flash of defiance on Instagram Live.

You’ll recall that the story in The Athletic said someone with the Pacers feared someone in Morant’s SUV might have had a gun. The NBA determined the presence of the gun “could not be corroborated.”

The Washington Post story involved allegations that Morant “flashed a gun” at a teenage basketball player. Morant’s agent said “any and every allegation involving a firearm has been fully investigated and could not be corroborated.”

That has been the consistent defense from the Morant camp.

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Hey, there’s no proof there was a gun.

So Morant goes on his own Instagram Live … with a gun?

The guy plainly doesn’t care what I think, you think or the broader NBA universe seems to think. And that is his right. As long as he doesn’t violate local gun laws — and that may be part of the NBA’s investigation — Morant is allowed to party with a weapon. He is allowed to put it on Instagram Live.

But if Morant thinks he is convincing anyone that he is some kind of tough guy, he is sorely mistaken. He is becoming an internet punchline, a meme.

And, yes, I am writing this from the perspective of a 61-year-old white guy. I am also writing from the perspective of a resident of a city that is awash in gun violence.

More than 300 Memphians were murdered last year, the vast majority by guns. Rev. Autura Eason-Williams was murdered. Geoffrey Redd, a police officer, was just shot and killed at the local library not long ago. Young Dolph was shot and killed buying cookies sixteen months ago. 

In 2022, more than 70% of the violent incidents in Memphis involved guns. From 2019 to 2021, the number of assault-related gunshot victims treated at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital increased exactly 100%.

We are living through a pandemic of gun violence. And the local superstar — the most famous Memphian since Elvis — decided the world should see him partying with a gun as an accessory, a prop, a toy.

Again, it is Morant’s choice. He can do whatever he likes. But thinking about the video, and the choices Morant is making, I was reminded of a story about the day Morant was given the first pair of his signature shoes to test.

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Morant called the day “emotional.” He didn’t take off the shoes for hours.

“Even in our meetings, I sat with our shoes on,” he said.

That’s how much the shoes meant to him.

But the shoes aren’t just shoes, of course. They represent something larger than that. They represent the impact that Morant has on millions, whether he likes it or not.

“Listen, obviously he is electrifying,” said Scott Munson, global vice president of men’s basketball for Nike, back on the day Morant’s new shoes were finally revealed. “He represents the next generation of players. But, when we really think about how he plays and how he lives, it’s those core values that he has shown. He has this infectious joy, he has a team-first mentality, a tireless work ethic. He’s a real leader. When you put all of those things together, he is this special spark at the moment, for the NBA, for basketball and for the city of Memphis.”

Core values.

Infectious joy.

A real leader.

A special spark.

That’s why Morant got those shoes.

You would hope that Nike and the Grizzlies would remind him of that. Even better, you would hope that Morant might finally see it for himself.