By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The NBA suspended Ja Morant for 25 games to start the 2023-24 season following the most recent instance of the Memphis Grizzlies star brandishing a firearm on social media, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Two months after NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended Morant for eight games for a series of off-court infractions, including multiple gun-related incidents, Morant flashed what appeared to be a handgun from a vehicle during an Instagram Live video last month. The league launched an investigation, which it concluded prior to the NBA Finals. Morant is currently on an indefinite suspension from the Grizzlies.
The league “uncovered a fair amount of additional information” during its investigation, Silver said during his annual state-of-the-league address prior to Game 1 between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.
Morant has not been charged with any crimes as a result of his actions. However, the NBA has become increasingly concerned with Morant’s behavior during what he has described as a trying year mentally. After suffering a hand injury during his team’s first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Morant told the media, “I’m just pretty much numb to everything now. I’m not even surprised. It’s one thing after another.”
Ja Morant statement: pic.twitter.com/KJCxTVEIRj
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2023
Police conducted a wellness check on Morant in late May after the 23-year-old posted to Instagram a series of captions over pictures of his loved ones that read, “Love ya ma,” “Love ya pops,” “You da greatest babygirl love ya,” and, simply, “Bye.” Morant told police “he is fine” and “taking a break from social media.”
The NBA suspended Morant for eight games in March after he filmed himself on Instagram Live flashing a gun from the Colorado strip club Shotgun Willie’s. The suspension came on the heels of a Washington Post report that outlined three separate drastic incidents involving Morant, two of which were reported to police.