The NBA has suspended Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for 25 games, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Morant, who will serve the suspension at the start of the 2023/24 season, will have to meet certain conditions to return to action, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The league has put out a formal statement officially confirming Charania’s and Wojnarowski’s reporting.
Morant’s suspension stems from an Instagram Live video that went viral last month. The Grizzlies star wielded a gun in that video, less than two-and-a-half months after he was suspended for eight games when a video showed him waving a gun around at a Colorado strip club.
Memphis suspended Morant indefinitely after his latest off-court incident while the NBA investigated the video and weighed its response. Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at the start of the Finals on June 1 that the league would wait until after the season ended to make an announcement on the results of its investigation.
In its press release on Friday, the NBA said that Morant “intentionally and prominently” displayed a gun in the May 13 social media video, “knowing that he was being recorded and that the recording was being live streamed on Instagram Live.”
A significant factor in the decision to suspend the 23-year-old for 25 games is the fact that he “made commitments to the NBA and (in) public statements that he would not repeat the conduct for which he was previously disciplined,” per the league.
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” Silver said in a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.
“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
Morant and the Grizzlies each released official responses to the NBA’s announcement.
The team’s press release is brief: “We respect the league’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode. Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”
In a lengthier statement, Morant expressed remorse for his behavior and vowed to be better going forward, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link):
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused. I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, (Grizzlies executive) Zach Kleiman and (Grizzlies owner) Robert Pera – who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me – I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.
“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season.
“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”
Prior to these gun-related videos in March and April, Morant was involved in a series of troubling off-court incidents. He punched a 17-year-old during a pickup game last summer, was accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game.
Although law enforcement looked into some of those allegations, Morant hasn’t faced any criminal charges. Still, the NBA has significant latitude to fine or suspend its players for conduct it deems detrimental to the league. Silver spoke earlier this month about the NBA’s focus being on “gun safety” rather than whether any local laws are being broken.
Morant was his usual productive self for the Grizzlies on the court in 2022/23, averaging 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in 61 regular season contests (31.9 MPG). For the first 25 games of next season, Memphis will likely turn to Tyus Jones as its starting point guard; the team also figures to seek additional depth at the position this summer.
Morant’s five-year, maximum-salary contract extension with the team will go into effect in ’23/24 and is projected to be worth $33.5MM in year one.
The two-time All-Star will lose 1/110th of his 2023/24 salary for each game of his suspension. That works out to $7,613,636 in forfeited salary if next season’s salary cap comes in at $134MM as projected.
Lol. Silver is so S O F T
Charmin soft.
Lighter than what I thought he’d get. Guess next time he’ll have to up the ante to get a full year.
When the 2nd gun story came out, Silver sounded like he was going to throw the book at Morant. My initial guess was a one year suspension. I assume, after meeting with the players association lawyers, there was a lack of hard evidence (was it a toy gun?) and this is the arrangement they came to behind closed doors, in which the union agreed they would not contest the punishment.
My guess is Silver has a suspension chart in his office:
.22lr = no suspension
.380 = 5 games
9mm = 25 games
.556 = 50 games
Buckshot/Slug = full year, but automatically entered into the NBA All-Star skeet shooting competition.
You’re forgetting any remark considered anti-China would be a lifetime ban. ;)
You gun or real gun it doesn’t matter. What matters is what is allowed in private or personal time or off-season etc.
would have to agree that both parties came up with this as the consequences to appease the demand by outsiders as this is a brand issue. It also mean Ja need to stop hurting his brand and the nba plus sponsors.
Not really a gun issue but a media and branding issue revolving around fake news or topics that he will have a tough time controlling.
Why he needs to stop using media all together.
Avoid his friends as they exploit and use media.
Problem not solved but maybe the nba and Ja can go make a living.
Wow, that’s actually less than I thought he’d get. I guess because he didn’t actually hurt anyone except himself with his stupidity?
Insanely soft, should’ve been half a season at least. Silver is the biggest coward in sports management history. Stern is rolling in his grave.
When he shoots himself or someone else then he’ll get half a season suspension
The NBA has never suspended anybody for more than half a season without having actually committed a crime, so for those thinking the NBA was too easy on Ja, I would tend to disagree.
They should’ve thrown the book at Danny Ainge for the Gobert deal. That…was a crime.
Lol, sure. Let me guess next u will tell us he was in the wrong place at the wrong time(twice).
It wasn’t a crime though…
Ron Artest (86 games) would disagree, although I guess he was charged with a crime.
He has 2 strikes against him now on guns. If he does it again he has a mental problem. His handlers should keep him away from all guns. If they don’t he will be out of the NBA soon.
Knew the NBA would give him 25 games. Predicted it on here.
Congrats
No one cares
Treat yourself to a cream filled cookie, styles.
I’m gonna need proof
link to hoopsrumors.com
“Likely” is not a prediction or “I knew,” it’s a guess. But good for you I thought it’d be at least half a season.
Likely: such as well might happen or be true; probable.
Similar: probable, distinctly possible.
Here’s a second thought for you. When you’re right quite often you don’t need to announce the one time where you hit it. Everyone will know from all the other times. Get it?
2. apparently suitable; promising.
This seems extremely excessive, but I guess that’s how the narratives go…
No crime was committed. Where the league was soft, however, would have been with Morant’s other infractions.
Yeaaaaaah… I’m still wondering about what happened with the teenager he allegedly beat up and threatened.
And he threatened a security guard or something like that. Both situations are more dangerous then a dude playing tough on IG.
True, but his employer specifically said “Don’t do this or else” and he did it again in short order. That’s asking for it.
Not that I disagree with your overall point.
That’s it?
Should of been a little less but silver guessed a good number
Boy, Silver got tough! What joke of a man! If that was all you’re going to do, shut up and don’t do anything! Silver is a joke!
Better not see any hunting pics this summer.
Could have been a lot worse
Maybe, this is was a favor to the team
Anymore than 25 games Silver is punishing the franchise as well as the player. Silver’s hands were tied.
At some point during his life, Morant will be a Darwin Award nominee at the rate he is going.
Pathetic
Should have been banned from playoffs next year.
LMFAO the first 20+ game suspension in NBA history without committing a crime. Common Adam Sliver L dude has ruined the league.
… but he said sorry…
Gangsta gotta gangsta
This is dumb that anyone would give a crap that someone waived a gun in front of a camera with no known victims.
Guns are a lawful right, so what they are used for is the only thing that needs to be decided.
Last time I checked using a gun as a prop is legal, and done 1,000’s of times a year.
Athletes wanting image, and entertainment careers on top of their athletic one is nothing new.
I would welcome the social bickering, outrage, and weak suspension when discussing the underage girl Karl Malone raped, and impregnated, which is definitely against the law.
Not this though. Don’t go to his games or buy his endorsed items if you care about his social life.
That is the quickest, and only way for a fanatic to put a dent in his firearm budget, or free-time for social media movies. If you care at all…
Again because it doesn’t seem to sink in…this is not a legal decision. The law is not involved. It’s a league decision, on the heels of a previous incident.
If you tell your kid not to eat cookies before dinner and they do it anyway, do you still reprimand them? It’s not against the law to eat cookies! Yet actions have consequences, regardless of the law.
Think on that for a few minutes before you reply.
Hopefully it’s enough to change his thinking. Hate see him become like Javaris Crittenton. In today’s climate of guns I think Stern would have been stricter. I know the situation is different than Javaris/Zero but the gun hype is real. Ja be stupid to mess this up, but we said that he last time. Now we wait and see if he torches the rest of his career.
Javaris Crittenton was the real deal, and why nobody knew a thing about his membership in an L.A. Gang.
Thats what criminals do, keep their activities hidden from public as long as possible.
JA is making social media videos, and if he is Javaris murdering Crittenton real then the people who hunt guys like that know exactly what is going on, where he is, and what he is doing.
I feel like calling Ja Morant a card-carrying member of street gang is like calling someone who parked in a handi-cap spot an outlaw.
I’m just not buying this narrative of alarm, shock, and denouncement. There are other things more worthy of this energy.
I agree with you that my comparison does sound harsh, but I don’t think Ja is like Crittenton, I just meant if he kills someone he’ll be in jail like Crittenton. Also, I don’t really think he is going to be a murderer, but you don’t have to be in a gang to create danger for yourself and others. He is creating a problem for himself that can lead to serious consequences. Ja should take the leagues advice and squash it. He’ll still be great being a better representative of the league. You don’t have to be a genius to see that he can easily ruin his career and his life. Now he has another chance and the ball is in his hands. To be honest, I’m hoping for hall of fame career.
His objectionable behavior however repulsive is of his own, and I believe his undoing eventually.
I’m very big believer in the Law though, and we can be scared about what others do, but unless its against the law, we ourselves become the criminal lawbreakers by interfering.
The NBA can fire him for another reason, and pay him, but until he breaks laws nobody can force punishment on him for the reason of having a gun on a computer, or phone camera, and posting it on social media. Its a protected activity. A constitutional lawyer would love this case, its a slam dunk if the NBA ever actually deducts $$$ for services Ja Morant previously rendered to them.
…the league can punish people for things that are not illegal. You get suspended for accruing technical fouls. Are technical fouls against the law? No. Seriously take a few moments to collect yourself. Your replies are erroneous and sloppy.
You are having another imaginary argument with someone else in your head….
I’ll happily provide you with Lawful reference, but you won’t answer me what is the difference between legal, and lawful, what are the boundaries, and where do the courts, and states take, and get their direction from?
You keep rambling about things I have not claimed intentionally because they are not legally, or lawfully relevant, but you are too ignorant to figure that out, or know the difference.
So you continue embarrassing yourself with ignorance asserting I am claiming anything about whether the NBA can suspend, or fire Morant.
They can do it without pay, but they can’t fire him for the reason of distasteful display of gun play on his social media account. Gotta be something else.
NBA can’t legislate constituiinally protected activities unless Ja Morant says yes, and the NBPA seems to show that he said no. So I guess I am still wrong about something?
The Gun is the reason, had it been a hammer probably nobody would have cared. I’d argue this all day, and win a punitive judgement
xmaxx, I tried to read your criticism objectionally, but now I realize you are just arguing without any real knowledge. Have you ever had a job? Many people get fired for things that are not illegal but against company policy. If you sign a conduct agreement you can be fired regardless of whether that breach of conduct breaks the law or not. And yes your conduct outside of company hours matter as well. After seeing your many replies to myself and others, it seems after all that hot air and typing you’re just an angry caveman
What are you talking about?
If you read the comment objectionably, then answer me this?
When and where did I say they can’t fire Ja Morant?
I stated they cannot take his pay for the reason of the video, and run into civil rights issues.
If they want to fire him they can, but I never claimed what you are grandstanding about, in fact I have stated repeatedly they can fire, terminate the contract send him to Florida, but they can’t take money from him for the video as the stated reason.
What is so complicated about this?
I am confused, or people got a lot of time to talk about the law not admitting they have no clue how it works.
Ja Morant is a contractor, not a McDonald’s cashier, so you have me lost about your point.
Employers in America do not have carte blanche to make contracts that suspend or undermine the constitutional laws of America. Unless…. Ja Morant says yes, go ahead and fire me, and take all my money.
He is not going to do that, and why the NBPA recently notified the NBA of its objection.
This is a slam dunk, I did not assert what you claim, and Morant will be suspended/fired whatever way the term relates to you, your lifestyle, and an NBA player, but he will be paid. Mark my words.
What is it exactly that you are even arguing, lol? Ja is suspended 25 games. The end.
I’m the one who responded to your comment with a rambling nothing that had little to do with the comment?
Good one troll
I’m the troll? Ha
What’s soft is you crying about a man waving a gun on an Instagram story, who cares
It’s not about us. It’s about the kids who look up to him. And it’s about the NBA’s image. If and when he gets himself involved in a situation where it leads to real consequences, advertisers will want to pull out and parents will rethink their opinion on the sport. It’s just bad for business. Ain’t nobody crying. It’s about trying to nip a potential future issue in the bud
And considering Ja has already gotten into several altercations on top of his gun obsession, it’s a valid concern.
The kids, the kids…
Lame excuse, and not a very factual addition to the conversation.
I have a lot to say to people who blame athletes for ruining their kids, but then don’t pay attention to what they are doing on social media, or any media?
Who cares, is right.
We have enough Karens already worried about nothing, and I doubt a lot of “kids” were subjected to much harm in any of his incidents.
The strip club would have been it if we are talking 8 and under. My kid wouldn’t be able to access Ja Morant’s personal social media page after that, only NBA content.
This is a feelings issue, not the law, so people need to move on, and stop giving this tripe energy. Its a nothing story about nobody getting hurt, just feelers by karens
Where’s my money?
Show the receipts and I’ll pay tough guy
Oh wow, my initial guess was right lol. Maybe I should play the lotto tonight.
Gotta say, as much as I think Silver has done a good job overall as commish, to unnecessarily hype up the suspension then come out with this just makes him and the league look stupid. There was no need to comment on the situation prematurely.
In any event, the bottom line is hopefully Ja cleans up his act. Whether it’s 25 games or 40 games, it ultimately doesn’t matter; he has to feel the need to change and change the things in his life contributing his bad decision-making.
Ja ain’t gonna learn anything until he ends up in hospital from his stupidity…
This is just weak from the NBA… No discipline…
Not this guy again defending Morant’s idiocy…
They gave Bridges 30 for actually committing a crime. They couldn’t go over that for what Ja did. As problematic as what Ja did is, it’s not as bad as him beating the crap out of his kids’ mothers in front of them.
If anything, Bridges should have gotten more because Ja probably deserved like half a season for continuing to be a gun-waving idiot.
Does the Bridges thing count as 30 though? Seems like he’s been out a year or more?
Officially it is a 30-game suspension and he hasn’t even served it all of it yet. Last year he had no contract, so they’re counting that as 20 games served.
I guess if you’re one of the league’s star players you get a slap on the wrist twice.. if a guy like Grayson Allen or Tyler Hero did it they’d be out for the whole season. I don’t think Ja is going to change. He’ll keep doing it because he knows he won’t be punished that bad.
Should have been half the year 41 gms.
He’ll F$&! It up again.
I feel bad for Morant. Not because of the 25 games, but because I know he’s gonna do the same thing AGAIN at some point sooner than later.
I think he cleans it up from here. Not disagreeing with you but at least that’s what I’m hoping. I’ve been a knucklehead a second time also and managed to stay out of prison and out of Harm’s Way since those early days. I’m still a knucklehead but I’m not out getting into trouble.
Lol, complete joke of a punishment. Looks like the NBPA has a lot more power than it once did. Didn’t Gilbert Arenas get 50 games just for making hand gestures of a gun? Javaris Crittendon was basically banned for life from the NBA.