Ja Morant was suspended eight games … and learned nothing.
The Grizzlies star lost his spot on an All-NBA team, forfeiting $40 million in guaranteed money that comes from a super-max contract … and learned nothing.
He apologized to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, made a cameo at a counseling center in Florida and did a mea culpa with Jalen Rose … and learned nothing.
Two months after Morant was suspended when a video showed him holding a gun while intoxicated at a Denver nightclub, Morant was at it again, back on Instagram Live, back flashing a firearm. In the video—which was quickly clipped Sunday and widely circulated on social media—Morant is sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. In the beginning, his left hand appears to be empty. Moments later, when the camera pans back to him, Morant is holding the gun.
The Grizzlies immediately suspended Morant for all team activities, pending league review.
In a statement, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said, “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.”
There is no need. It’s all there. It’s the same situation. Instead of a nightclub, Morant was in a vehicle. After apologizing back in March for making a terrible decision, Morant went out and made what looks like the exact same one. After saying back in March he needs to show better leadership, Morant showed a total lack of it. While Memphis was busy scapegoating Dillon Brooks for sabotaging the end of this season, Morant was out torpedoing the next one.
“This was,” says a rival team executive, “incredibly dumb.”
The NBA’s response may not be swift, but if its investigation shows this latest incident is what it looks like, expect it to be severe. The league likely believes it showed Morant compassion in March. Morant confessed to dealing with anxiety. With stress. With how to manage his anxiety and stress. He looked Silver in the eye and expressed, as Silver phrased it, “sincere remorse.” Morant’s previous eight-game suspension was significant but a fraction of what it could have been. The NBA won’t be as lenient this time.
“Irresponsible,” “reckless,” and “potentially very dangerous” is how Silver framed Morant’s actions just two months earlier. What must the commissioner be thinking now? A 20-game suspension has to be automatic. Rival executives believe half a season—or more—isn’t out of the question.
Another exec tells SI, “[Silver has] got to set an example.”
For the Grizzlies, the off-the-court incidents are now piling up, and that’s a problem. They have turned a blind eye to Morant’s behavior and have been burned by it. They have allowed Morant to have the run of the organization and now he has run over it. Next season, Morant will begin a five-year, $194 million contract. It’s easy to dump Brooks, a soon-to-be-free agent who the Grizzlies didn’t really want to pay anyway. Disciplining Morant, a small-market superstar? That’s a lot more difficult.
In March, Morant said he realized what he has to lose. “I made mistakes in the past that caused a lot of negative attention, not only to me, but my family as well, my team, the organization, and I’m completely sorry for that,” Morant told reporters. “So, you know, my job now is being more responsible, smarter, and don’t cause any [more off-court controversy] anymore.”
He wasn’t. He hasn’t. And now Morant, and the Grizzlies, will pay a price.
