NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed disappointment on Tuesday that Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant apparently held a firearm once more on social media this previous weekend, however didn’t predict what punishment the league might impose.
Morant has already been suspended from all group actions by the Grizzlies and the league has opened one other investigation into the star guard’s off-court conduct.
Silver met with Morant after an identical incident in March and suspended him for eight video games.
“Honestly, I was shocked when I saw, this weekend, that video,” Silver stated in a televised interview with ESPN earlier than the draft lottery in Chicago. “We’re in the process of investigating it and we’ll figure out exactly what happened as best as we can. The video’s a bit grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst. We’ll figure out exactly what happened there.”
It’s the second time in lower than three months that Morant was seen on Instagram holding what seemed to be a weapon. The first led to the eight-game suspension that was handed down in March and price Morant about $669,000 in wage.
This time, the suspension could possibly be for much longer and far more pricey. The second video was captured Saturday night time and broadly shared on-line. It was streamed on the Instagram account of Morant affiliate Davonte Pack, an individual aware of the scenario advised The Associated Press, talking on situation of anonymity as a result of the Grizzlies haven’t commented on the specifics of the newest video.
The video streamed by Pack reveals Morant within the passenger seat of a automobile, briefly showing to show a handgun. At the very transient second — possibly lower than a second — when Morant is proven holding what seems to be a weapon as he sits within the passenger seat of a automobile, the reside stream had 111 viewers.
“He could have injured, maimed, killed himself, someone else, with an act like that,” Silver stated. “And also the acknowledgement that he’s a star. He has an incredibly huge following. And my concern — and I thought he shared with me — that millions if not tens of millions of kids globally would see him as having done something that was celebrating in a way that act of using a firearm in that fashion.”
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images through AFP
When the season ended a few weeks in the past, Morant stated once more that he wanted to work on his decision-making.
“Being disciplined on both sides, off the court making better decisions and on the court being locked in even more,” Morant stated following a season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “Being a leader of this team, it pretty much starts with me. … I’ve got to be better in that area.”
Morant’s five-year, $194 million max contract is about to start this coming season. He has endorsement offers with Nike and Powerade, although the sports activities drink firm pulled an advert that includes Morant virtually instantly after the March video emerged.
This is the third recognized NBA investigation surrounding Morant and the potential involvement of firearms to date in 2023.
Morant’s actions have been investigated after a January 29 incident in Memphis that he stated led to Pack being banned from Grizzlies’ residence video games for a 12 months.
That incident adopted a recreation towards the Indiana Pacers; citing unnamed sources, The Indianapolis Star and USA Today reported that a number of members of the Pacers noticed a crimson dot pointed at them whereas they have been close to the loading dock the place their bus was situated, and The Athletic reported {that a} Pacers safety guard believed the laser was connected to a gun.
The NBA confirmed that unnamed people have been banned from the sector however stated its investigation discovered no proof that anybody was threatened with a weapon.
Then got here the Denver-area incident within the early hours of March 4, after the Grizzlies performed a highway recreation towards the Nuggets when Morant began a reside stream from inside a strip membership whereas holding a gun. No expenses have been filed.
Morant and Pack are also concerned in a civil lawsuit introduced after an incident at Morant’s residence final summer time, during which a then-17-year-old alleged that they assaulted him. Morant filed a countersuit on April 12, accusing the teenager of slander, battery and assault.
