The NBA has suspended Ja Morant, a top player for the Memphis Grizzlies, for 25 games beginning with the 2023–2024 season.
According to sources who spoke with ESPN, there are requirements attached to the suspension that must be fulfilled before Morant is allowed to play again. The incident was the subject of an NBA investigation that was wrapped up a few weeks ago. Commissioner Adam Silver nevertheless decided not to draw attention to the penalty until after the NBA Finals.
The Grizzlies suspended All-Star center Jared Morant from team activities on May 14 in anticipation of the league reviewing a video that went viral on social media showing the player brandishing a gun. This suspension comes after another incident in March, when Morant was caught on camera using a firearm at a Denver-area club while intoxicated during an Instagram Live session. He had already served an eight-game suspension from the NBA for that event.
Subsequently, Morant willingly enrolled in a Florida counseling center to strengthen his capacity for stress management. Eleven days after the event, he drove to New York City and met with Commissioner Silver at the league’s headquarters.
Commissioner Silver decided that Morant’s actions were bad for the league and suspended him for eight games without pay. The six games that Morant had previously missed could be attributed to this sentence. In a strong statement, Silver denounced Morant’s actions, calling them “irresponsible, reckless, and potentially very dangerous.”
During his press conference prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver stated, “I think he understood that it wasn’t about his words.” It was going to concern his behavior moving forward.
Davonte Pack, who also happens to be Morant’s best buddy, was the source of the May Instagram Live video. Alongside Morant, Pack has been involved in a number of off-court events that have prompted league office investigations.
Pack was barred from Grizzlies home games for a year after an investigation into a confrontation with the Indiana Pacers traveling party on January 29 that allegedly involved a red laser pointed out of an SUV while Morant was there.
Commissioner Silver announced that a number of variables would be taken into account when calculating the duration of the punishment during his news conference at the Finals on June 1. These variables include the player’s past, the history of previous occurrences involving the parties concerned, and the seriousness of the behavior shown.
If Morant had been chosen for the all-NBA team this season, his projected five-year, $194 million maximum contract could have increased to a supermax. The deal was scheduled to start in the upcoming season. Regretfully, Morant was unable to obtain it, which meant that he lost out on about $39 million in potential future revenues
