NBA commissioner Adam Silver shared that he was “shocked” in response to Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s latest off-court incident, in which he appeared to display a gun during an Instagram live video Saturday.
The league suspended Morant in March for eight games after an Instagram Live video surfaced of him flashing a gun at a nightclub in Colorado. Prior to issuing Morant’s suspension from the first incident, Silver spoke with the two-time All-Star.
Ahead of the 2023 NBA draft lottery, Silver spoke with ESPN’s Malika Andrews about Saturday’s incident and expressed that he was stunned.
“Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend,” Silver told Andrews. “We’re in the process of investigating it. We’ll figure out exactly what happened to the best we can. … But I’m assuming the worst. We’ll figure out what happened here.”
“Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend — that video. Now, we’re in the process of investigating it."
— ESPN (@espn) May 16, 2023
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke on Ja Morant after his latest video. pic.twitter.com/W0lX4E2fa4
Silver’s comments come after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that the 23-year-old could face a “lengthy suspension” from the league in regard to the situation.
“I sense already today that (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver’s going to feel increasing pressure from other teams in the league who see this as much as it impacts the Grizzlies, that it impacts them and their ability to market their players and their teams,” Wojnarowski said.
Following Saturday’s incident, Memphis suspended Morant from team activities pending the NBA’s investigation.
