Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for June 1. He remained among Twitter’s top trending topics nationally even 24 hours after his latest suspension. Morant now is facing criticism - even from his own fans. “Hopefully, the young man will figure out what he’s got to do to turn the ship around if he wants to continue in not only the money, but his career in the NBA,” said Rob Prazmark, founder and CEO of 21 Marketing, whose clients have included the NBA and USA Basketball. The issues are much broader for the face of the franchise and one of the NBA’s more marketable players. A federal judge has since cleared the way to drop that minimum age to 18. Morant has a home in Tennessee, where Republican leaders have repeatedly worked to relax state gun laws, including in 2001 when they allowed most adults 21 and older to carry handguns without first obtaining a permit. “I’m sure the people at Nike are trying to figure out, ‘Does this make him more relevant to a certain audience? And is this something we’re going to ride out?’” said Burton, who noted Nike doesn’t often give up on an athlete trending negatively. The countersuit noted the lawsuit jeopardized relationships with sponsors including some “unconsummated deals.”īurton, commissioner of Australia’s National Basketball League from 2003-07, said research shows some athletes believe negativity can help them break out as a “perfect pitch person.” Burton wrote in 2001 about the demand for antiheroes or athletes with controversial images. In April, Morant countersued a Memphis teenager accusing the Grizzlies guard of punching him during a pickup court fight last summer at Morant’s home. Powerade pulled his ad almost immediately after the March video. Representatives of Nike, which started selling Morant’s Ja 1 shoes on April 19, did not return a message from The Associated Press on Monday. Endorsement deals traditionally include confidentiality and morals clauses. Morant has endorsement deals with Nike and the sports drink Powerade, which is owned by Coca-Cola.

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