The Memphis Grizzlies announced on Sunday that they were suspending Ja Morant from all team activities after the two-time All-Star was seen holding a gun in an Instagram Live video.
Morant served a suspension during the season for similar incidents, including when he brandished a gun at a nightclub in Denver back in March. The NBA launched an investigation into Morant’s off-court conduct and ultimately suspended him eight games.
While he was suspended, Morant entered a counseling program and claimed that he was making real changes to his behavior. But this latest incident came just two months after that suspension.
Here’s what we know so far.
What happened in the video?
In an Instagram Live video streamed by _dtap2, Morant was seen holding a handgun in the front seat of a car while singing and dancing along to music.
Ja Morant was allegedly seen showing off a gun on IG Live yesterday 😳 pic.twitter.com/fdhjBbIn9c
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 14, 2023
A clip of the video can be seen here. It contains NSFW language.
What did the Grizzlies say about the video?
As the video went viral on social media, there was generally silence from the team. But on Sunday morning, the Grizzlies PR account released a short statement to say that the team was aware of the video and that Morant was suspended from team activities.
Statement from the Memphis Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/XXLjr6QtlG
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) May 14, 2023
Oddly enough, the Grizzlies’ main account did not release or even retweet the statement. As on Sunday afternoon, a Mother’s Day post was the only new tweet on the main Grizzlies account.
What does this mean for Morant?
It’s unclear right now what the long-term impact will be for Morant, but it’s certainly not good news for him. To have a similar incident so quickly after a suspension, it will only invite more punishment from the league and team.
After the initial suspension, Morant said that his job going forward was to be more responsible and smarter with his decisions.
The Grizzlies have to be disappointed to see the same behavior reappear that led to the first suspension.
It’s also unclear when this latest suspension will end.
What are fans saying?
Like most of the NBA world, fans were puzzled about why Morant would continue the same actions that got him suspended in March. They also couldn’t believe that he’d continue to flash guns on social media.
“Ja we’re about to go live on IG!”
Ja Morant: pic.twitter.com/X7A15h8kIO
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) May 14, 2023
Ja Morant’s PR team waking up this morning: pic.twitter.com/poYbDbcUsj
— Marco (@xmarcolfc) May 14, 2023
Ja Morant is not a serious person
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 14, 2023
It’s going to be a long offseason for Morant.
