No stranger to controversy, Lil Wayne had hoped to schedule a sit-down with Ja Morant, mentoring the Memphis Grizzlies star amid his recent string of off-court scandals. To accomplish that, the rapper of “Lollipop” fame reached out to close friend Skip Bayless, hoping the Fox Sports commentator could get the two in a room together.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet, with Morant ignoring a text message from Bayless, apparently uninterested in Wayne’s advice.
“[Lil Wayne] texted me. He said, ‘Hey, can you connect me with Ja? Because I could help him. I’ve been there. I’ve done all this. I wound up in prison. Rikers Island. I know what happens. I know where you can go wrong,’” said Bayless, recounting the exchange on his podcast, The Skip Bayless Show. “I reached out to Ja. ‘Would you sit with Lil Wayne? Would you talk to Lil Wayne?’ Wayne would fly to him. He’d fly to Memphis in a heartbeat, tonight. Wayne would private plane it and go right to Memphis if he thought he could save a career and a soul. I got nothing back.”
I tried, unsuccessfully, to connect Lil Wayne with Ja Morant. I know Wayne would fly to Memphis in a heartbeat.pic.twitter.com/4H4Z4V0I8t
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 12, 2023
Morant’s reputation has plummeted of late, sullying his public image with erratic behavior including several incidents involving firearms. Wayne can relate. He was sentenced to a year in jail (of which he served eight months) after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon. The five-time Grammy winner faced similar charges in 2020, but was pardoned by President Donald Trump on his final day in office.
“[I] didn’t expect anything back,” said Bayless, showing genuine concern for a troubled athlete in desperate need of guidance. “I just hope Ja doesn’t turn out to be one of those people you just can’t reach. You just can’t fix. You just can’t save.”
Usually active on social media, Morant hasn’t posted anything in weeks, keeping a low profile since police were called to conduct a welfare check at his home following a series of concerning Instagram stories. The All-Star guard is expected to face a lengthy suspension, one that could shelve him for a significant chunk of next season. Now that the Finals are over, an announcement should be made soon with a decision on Morant’s discipline likely coming in the next week.
About Jesse Pantuosco
Jesse Pantuosco joined Awful Announcing as a contributing writer in May 2023. He’s also written for Audacy and NBC Sports. A graduate of Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a master’s degree in creative writing from Fairfield University, Pantuosco has won three Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut and never misses a Red Sox, Celtics or Patriots game.