"He's hustling backwards" - Shannon Sharpe offers advice to Ja Morant in wake of teenager assault scandal

Shannon Sharpe has history with Ja Morant, his father Tee Morant, and the Memphis Grizzlies. In the wake of all the recent scandals and allegations against Ja, Sharpe has offered advice to the young NBA superstar.

On a recent episode of Undisputed, Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless discussed the Grizzlies guard's on-going lawsuit. Ja reportedly brandished a gun in front of a teenager after beating him up. He also allegedly threatened several mall officials in Memphis.

The NFL legend wants him to know that he's on a different level now and doesn't have to do anything that would get him or his family in trouble.

"I've said it before, Ja, you're going to have to move differently," Sharpe said. "You're in a different stratosphere now. I just think he needs to conduct himself as a person that's in that same stratosphere."

"He portrays that he is like something that he is not. … He's hustling backwards. You're supposed to once you get out of that environment and say, 'I'll leave that behind.' Ja, just move differently, bruh!"

Shannon Sharpe added that he's not going to advise Ja Morant on how to play basketball. However, Sharpe wants Morant to help others by being a great example and show everybody how to work hard to achieve their dreams.

"I would never give you any advice on how to play basketball, but I would try to give you some advice on how to move," Sharpe said. "Let somebody else's lesson be your lesson. … Ja, there are a lot of lessons out there for you to learn without having to learn that same lesson through your own hardship, that’s all I would say to him."

It was not the first time Sharpe advised Morant on how to conduct himself. The Hall of Famer said last month that Morant needs to stop acting like a thug and stop surrounding himself with problematic individuals.

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Ja Morant's camp releases statement regarding recent reports of trouble

Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies

Molly Hensley-Clancy of The Washington Post reported a couple of troubling incidents involving Ja Morant last summer. A few hours after the report came out, Morant's lawyer and agent have released a statement in response to it.

S. Keenan Carter of Butler Snow LLP called The Washington Post's report a lie and said they will probably seek legal action against the journalist. The Memphis Grizzlies superstar's agent, Jim Tanner, explained that his client's actions against the teenager were in self-defense.

It remains to be seen if the NBA will make a follow-up investigation. Some were calling for Morant's suspension, while others were unhappy with his recent gun celebration on the bench.