by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 7, 2023

Baseball Player Calls Out Nike for Supporting Ja Morant But Ending Partnership with Kyrie Irving

A member of the MLB is calling out Nike for seemingly standing by Ja Morant, in the wake of his gun controversy, months after ending their partnership with Kyrie Irving, in response to him promoting a documentary.

On Saturday, Nike released a statement of “support” for Morant after the Memphis Grizzlies player was suspended for two games for flashing a gun on social media, Sports Illustrated reported.

“We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being,” the company’s statement said.

Nike’s statement came days after Morant deactivated his Instagram and Twitter pages, and released his own statement claiming he was taking some time to get the help he needs.

The gun scandal came the same week Morant was sued for allegedly punching a 17-year-old boy during a pickup game at his house last year.

Despite all the controversy surrounding Morant, Nike is still set to release their shoe with the NBA player next month, Fox News reported. While the statement confirmed that Morant’s Nike endorsement won’t be impacted by his latest actions, there’s one pro athlete who took issue with Nike’s decision to continue working with Morant months after ending their contract with Kyrie.

Chicago Cubs star Marcus Stroman took to Twitter on Sunday to call out Nike for the alleged hypocrisy.

“Kyrie posted a link with zero comments and they ended his contract,” Stroman tweeted.

“I always knew Nike was trash. Thankful to be free from any of these companies!”

Nike ended their contract with Irving last December in response to the NBA champion posting a link to Hebrews to Negroes, a documentary and book sold on Amazon that many deemed antisemitic, NPR reported.

“Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike Athlete,” a Nike spokesperson said at the time.


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