sport news Kyrie Irving hits out at the 'overload of judgement' on Ja Morant over strip ... trends now

sport news Kyrie Irving hits out at the 'overload of judgement' on Ja Morant over strip ... trends now
sport news Kyrie Irving hits out at the 'overload of judgement' on Ja Morant over strip ... trends now

sport news Kyrie Irving hits out at the 'overload of judgement' on Ja Morant over strip ... trends now

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has hit out at the media and the public for an 'overload of judgement' towards Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant following his latest gun scandal. 

Morant returned to the team Monday after two weeks away as he served an eight-game suspension for flashing a gun in a Denver-area nightclub on Instagram live in the early hours of March 4. 

Irving, who has faced a fair share of controversy himself throughout his NBA career, and the Mavericks lost to the Grizzlies 112-108 Monday night as Morant watched on from the sidelines and following the game the Dallas guard embraced the young star. 

The 30-year-old appeared to accuse the media of being to quick to pile on the judgement as it looked for the 'next grab.'

'I believe any hardship in life builds character,' said Irving, who was also suspended earlier this season, via The Athletic. 

Kyrie Irving (L) has hit out at the 'overload of judgement' on Grizzlies star Ja Morant (R)

Kyrie Irving (L) has hit out at the 'overload of judgement' on Grizzlies star Ja Morant (R)

Morant appeared to hold up a gun in an Instagram Live video in the early hours of March 4

Morant was dancing topless in a strip club

 Morant appeared to hold up a gun in an Instagram Live video in the early hours of March 4

'When you're dealing with particular hardships in the public eye, especially with the media being attracted to just keeping up with what we're doing, or what's the next kind of grab or story,' Irving added. 

'I don't want to assume anything by every media member, but that's just the way it seems for me and my perspective, which is there was an overload of judgment on Ja. There was an overload of judgment on what I had going on, and there's usually an overload of judgment from the public court of opinion.'

Irving sparked backlash and criticism of his own in October when he posted a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 film 'Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America' based on a 2015 book of the same name, which has been described as 'venomously anti-Semitic'.

The point guard, who was then playing for the Brooklyn Nets, initially refused to apologize for the tweet and doubled down on the controversial post in front of the media, which ultimately landed him with an eight-game suspension until he belatedly offered an apology. 

Irving also missed time last season as he was unable to play home games in New York due to his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19. 

Morant's first game back could be against Houston on Wednesday and he is expected to practice Tuesday, addressing the media beforehand. 

He returned to the team's facilities Monday for the first time since his suspension and Dillon Brooks revealed that the guard apologized to each of his teammates for his actions. 

'He's taking ownership of it, which is a great thing for his growth, for his basketball career, for everything,' Brooks said. 'You're going to see a different Ja out there, who's consistent every single night and is going to give us the energy that we need to be a top team in the West.'

Irving served a suspension of his own earlier this season for a controversial 'anti-Semitic' post

Irving served a suspension of his own earlier this season for a controversial 'anti-Semitic' post

Morant received a warm reception as he returned to the FedEx Forum on Monday night

Morant received a warm reception as he returned to the FedEx Forum on Monday night

The 23-year-old watched the game from the sidelines after serving an eight-game suspension

The 23-year-old watched the game from the sidelines after serving an eight-game suspension 

Teammate Dillon Brooks revealed that the two-time All-star apologized to every Grizzly player

Teammate Dillon Brooks revealed that the two-time All-star apologized to every Grizzly player

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