The NBA officially announced the sanction for Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant, who has been suspended since March 4 due to a social media post where he live-streamed himself holding what appeared to be a gun at a nightclub.
According to the league’s announcement, the superstar guard has been suspended eight games for conduct detrimental to the league. Therefore, the earliest Ja Morant could be eligible to return to the Grizzlies’ lineup will be next Monday, March 20 against the Dallas Mavericks.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/OhNwWzj9zU
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 15, 2023
On Wednesday, Ja Morant met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who called his off-court behavior “irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous”, while his actions have serious consequences given his popularity on social media.
Ja Morant’s sanction comes after the conclusion of the league’s investigation into the Denver incident, which says there is no evidence that the gun belonged to Morant or was taken by him to the nightclub or was shown by him beyond a short period of time or was possessed by him while traveling with the team or to any NBA facility.
Morant has been out for the last five games and will miss Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat. Memphis has gone 3-2 in that span.
This is at least the second time in recent weeks that Ja Morant, who has deactivated his social media accounts, has been the subject of a league investigation into his actions on and off the field.
Ja Morant is averaging 27.1 points and 8.2 assists per game, while the Grizzlies are second in the West Region standings with a 41-26 record, four games behind the West leaders Denver Nuggets (46-23), who are in a 4-game losing skid
NBA investigation into Ja Morant did not conclude that the gun belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period… "also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility." https://t.co/QRaNhu9gk5
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 15, 2023
