Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
NBA Suspends Ja Morant 25 Games for 2nd Social Media Video Involving a Gun
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
June 16, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Memphis guard Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games by the NBA — his second ban in four months — and Commissioner Adam Silver made clear Friday the star must stop his “alarming” habit of flashing guns on social media.

The suspension for the upcoming season comes a month after a second video of Morant flashing a handgun was streamed online. The video of Morant showing a gun while sitting in the passenger seat of a car was posted after his eight-game suspension in March for a video in which he flashed a handgun in a Denver-area strip club.

Morant is due to make around $33.5 million this season. He now stands to lose just over $300,000 per game — or approximately $7.5 million. He also will have to adhere to certain conditions before being reinstated, the NBA said.

 

Silver made clear the two-time All-Star’s decision-making is “disconcerting.”

“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning,” Silver said. “Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”

Suspension Terms and Grizzlies’ Response

The league said Morant “will be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games” during his suspension.

The Grizzlies suspended Morant indefinitely from team activities after the second video surfaced, and they said Friday they respect the punishment for this “latest episode.”

“Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them,” the Grizzlies said.

Morant apologized again Friday to the league, the Grizzlies, his teammates and the city of Memphis in a statement issued through his representatives. He specifically told Silver, Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman he is sorry.

The guard with his own signature Nike shoe also apologized to children who look up to him for failing them as a role model. Morant made clear he’s had time to reflect and understands the hurt he might have caused.

Morant’s Apology and Commitment to Improvement

“I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise,” Morant said.

Morant said he’ll keep working on both his mental health and decision-making.

On May 24, police conducted a welfare check on Morant and said he was “fine” after cryptic messages appeared on the guard’s Instagram account only to be deleted. A police spokesman said Morant told officers he was “taking a break from social media.”

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you,” Morant said Friday.

NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said the players association thinks the NBA went too far punishing Morant, calling it “excessive and inappropriate” and inconsistent with the league’s past discipline.

“We will explore with Ja all options and next steps,” Tremaglio said in a statement.

Nike also is sticking with Morant, whose Ja 1 shoe line debuted earlier this year.

“We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being,” Nike said.

Silver’s Stance on Gun Safety and Consequences

Silver’s stance is clear: Morant’s actions, even without being charged with a crime, have severe consequences, particularly with gun violence a massive problem and the guard one of the league’s most popular players.

“Waving them around … is not consistent with gun safety and is not the proper message that an NBA player, particularly one at Ja’s level, should be sending to the tens of millions of followers he has — and particularly when it’s an incident once again, where it’s been streamed live on social media,” Silver said earlier this month at the NBA Finals.

The suspension almost certainly means that Morant will not be eligible for any end-of-season awards in 2024, such as MVP and All-NBA. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that goes into effect July 1, a player must appear in 65 games (with limited exceptions) to be eligible.

It’s also reasonable to think Morant will miss the league’s inaugural in-season tournament expected to start this fall and end sometime in December. The league has yet to announce if the tournament is definitely happening, nor has it released the schedule.

Silver said basketball needs to take a back seat for Morant before he can return to the NBA. Morant will have to finish a program with the league addressing the issues Silver said “led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant’s eight-game suspension cost him about $669,000 in forfeited salary after the first video surfaced on March 4 on his own Instagram account.

The second video captured May 13 was widely shared online after being streamed by a Morant associate. That was the same friend Morant said in February had been banned from the Grizzlies’ home arena for a year over a confrontation with members of the Indiana Pacers organization a week earlier.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting on City Bus

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Is Still Reviewing a US Proposal for a Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

DON'T MISS

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

DON'T MISS

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

DON'T MISS

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

DON'T MISS

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

DON'T MISS

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

DON'T MISS

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

UP NEXT

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

UP NEXT

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

UP NEXT

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

UP NEXT

49ers Make a Switch at Punter, Signing Thomas Morstead and Cutting Mitch Wishnowsky

UP NEXT

McVay Admits Rams Considering Reunion With Jalen Ramsey

UP NEXT

Yankees Have a Busload of Momentum Heading Into World Series Rematch Against Dodgers

UP NEXT

Martínez Hits a 3-Run Homer in the Eighth Inning as Guardians Rally for Win Over Dodgers

UP NEXT

CA Changes Track-and-Field Championships After Trans Athlete’s Success. What to Know

UP NEXT

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

UP NEXT

Tiger’s Son, Charlie Woods, Wins Team TaylorMade Invitational in Claiming 1st AJGA Event

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

30 minutes ago

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

34 minutes ago

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

39 minutes ago

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

45 minutes ago

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

59 minutes ago

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

1 hour ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

2 hours ago

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

3 hours ago

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting on City Bus

The Fresno Police Department has released a critical incident video following an officer-involved shooting April 10. The incident involved a...

1 minute ago

1 minute ago

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting on City Bus

3 minutes ago

Hamas Says It Is Still Reviewing a US Proposal for a Gaza Ceasefire

22 minutes ago

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

30 minutes ago

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

34 minutes ago

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

39 minutes ago

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

45 minutes ago

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

59 minutes ago

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend