Ja Morant will have to wait until after the NBA Finals to discover his punishment after appearing to flash a gun on social media for the second time.
The 23-year-old seemed to hold a gun while listening to music in a car during an Instagram Live video, a similar incident to the one he was suspended for back in March. Morant missed eight games as a result of the first incident, and has once again been suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies, pending investigation.
This instance occurred after the Grizzlies ' season ended, meaning his current suspension by the team won't affect his ability to play at the moment. But the NBA are expected to come down hard on the All-Star, and commissioner Adam Silver has offered an update on when they will reveal their decision.
"We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information," Silver said on Thursday, the day of NBA Finals Game One. "We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series."
Silver's comments come after the Grizzlies initially addressed Morant's actions, as a spokesperson said: "We are aware of the social media video involving Ja Morant. He is suspended from all team activities pending league review. We have no further comment at this time."
The first incident involving Morant led to a lot of criticism towards the Grizzlies forward, and back then Silver described his actions as "irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous." Morant apologised for the incident from March 4, as he said two-and-a-half weeks later: "I'm completely sorry.
"So, you know, my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible, smarter, and don't cause any of that no more. I went there to counselling to learn how to manage stress. Cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I've tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes."
But a second Instagram Live has now landed him in more trouble, with the NBA star taking "full accountability" after being suspended again. "I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me," Morant added in a statement.
"This is a journey and I recognise there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself."
After being suspended for eight games after the first incident in March, it's expected that his next punishment will be much harsher. But Morant and his team will have to wait until after the NBA Finals to find out.
