Posted inAnalysis

Ja Morant shows how a ‘good guy with a gun’ can never be Black

Ja Morant, the 23-year-old star point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, conjures that of the electrifying NBA superstar Allen Iverson. With colorfully dyed dreadlocks, an infectious smile and a signature sneaker, Ja represents the next generation of NBA superstars. But his bursting athletic brilliance, so evocative of Iverson, comes with a cost: the perceived menace of the Black gangster.