The NBA has handed Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant an eight-game suspension without pay after he displayed a weapon during a visit to a strip club.
Earlier this month, video surfaced of Morant displaying the gun during a visit to the club in suburban Denver. He has already missed five games because of the incident, and will be eligible to return for his team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among the young fans who look up to him.”
Grizzlies star Ja Morant was allegedly seen showing off a gun on his IG Live this morning.pic.twitter.com/HlhvoWlnYy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 4, 2023
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The league said it “did not conclude” that the gun belonged to Morant or that he brought it to the nightclub. He also does not believe the 23-year-old had the gun while he was with the team or at an NBA facility. The NBA statement added that Colorado authorities did not find sufficient evidence to charge Morant with a crime.
Morant will lose about $669,000 in salary during his suspension.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/OhNwWzj9zU
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 15, 2023
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Morant’s conduct had already been investigated by the league after a separate incident in January following a game in Memphis against the Indiana Pacers. Citing unnamed sources, The Indianapolis Star and USA Today reported that several members of the Pacers saw a red dot pointed at them, and the Athletic reported that a team security guard believed the laser was attached to a weapon.
The NBA confirmed that unidentified people were barred from the arena, but said its investigation found no evidence that anyone was threatened with a weapon.
Morant responded to that incident by tweeting that the reports “paint this negative picture of me and my family. & banned my brother from playing at home for a year. unbelievable.” During the game on January 29, there was barking between Pacers players and Morant’s friends sitting along the sideline. A close friend of Morant’s, Udaste Pack, was escorted out of the arena while players on the Pacers bench were yelling in Pack’s direction.
Pack and Morant are also involved in a civil lawsuit brought after an incident at Morant’s home last summer, in which a 17-year-old alleged he was assaulted. The Shelby County district attorney’s office said in January that it was “aware of the incident and, after a careful review of the facts, decided there was not enough evidence to pursue the case.”
Morant, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, has become a full-fledged superstar. Her five-year, $194 million extension with the Grizzlies begins next season and would increase to around $230 million if she makes an All-NBA team this season.
He is also a requested sponsor. Over Christmas, Nike unveiled Morant’s first signature shoe, set to drop in the coming weeks. And earlier this week, Powerade announced a multi-year endorsement deal with Morant.
The same day the Powerade deal was revealed, the Washington Post published a story, based on police records it obtained, detailing how Morant and some associates “have been accused of threatening and even violent behavior.”
Questions about Morant’s conduct come at a time when gun violence is once again a prominent topic of conversation in the world of sports.
Top NBA draft prospect Brandon Miller and his Alabama teammate Jaden Bradley have been linked to a murder scene. Neither has been charged or charged with a crime, but then his teammate Darius Miles and another man face capital murder charges.
And the New Mexico State men’s basketball season was canceled in February due to a fatal shooting and allegations of locker room hazing. Mike Peake, the New Mexico State player involved in the shooting death of New Mexico player Brandon Travis in November, said he acted in self-defense and he has not been charged with any crime.