NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the latest in the league’s investigation into Ja Morant’s recent off-court incident, one that appeared to show the Grizzlies’ star displaying a gun during an Instagram live video in May.
During a press conference ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver told reporters that the NBA has “uncovered a fair amount of additional information” in its investigation of Morant’s behavior. However, Silver said he believed it would be unfair to the Heat and the Nuggets to announce the results of the league’s investigation during the Finals.
Instead, Silver said Morant’s punishment will be announced “shortly after the conclusion of the Finals.” Following Morant’s second incident last month, Memphis suspended Morant from all team activities while awaiting the results of the league’s investigation.
Adam Silver: “I don’t think we know yet what it will take to change (Ja Morant’s) behavior.” Silver indicates the NBA has reached a decision on discipline for Morant and will wait until after the Finals to announce.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) June 1, 2023
Morant’s second potential punishment comes after the 23-year-old served an eight-game suspension during the 2022–23 regular season after he posted a video on Instagram in which he displayed a gun at a Colorado night club in March. After Morant served his first suspension, the two-time All-Star returned for the remainder of the regular season and played with the Grizzlies in the postseason until they were eliminated by the Lakers in the first round.
Prior to Silver’s comments on Thursday, the commissioner spoke with ESPN’s Malika Andrews ahead of the 2023 NBA draft lottery, stating that he was “shocked” by Morant’s second incident involving a gun and that he was “assuming the worst” as the league conducted its investigation.
