NBA Suspends All-Star Ja Morant: Conduct ‘Detrimental To The League’
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 06:28PM By Barry Janoff
March 15, 2023: The NBA said today that Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant has been suspended eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league.
“The discipline is in response to Morant’s live-streaming of a video on March 4 in which he is holding a firearm in an intoxicated state while visiting a Denver area nightclub.”
Morant, having already missed games, will be eligible to return for the team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 20.
Morant has been away from the team since the video became public "to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being,” according to Moranrt via the Grizzlies.
The day after he posted the video, Morant said via the team, “I'm sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down.
"I'm going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
A meeting took place today in the NBA’s New York offices between NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Morant to discuss Morant’s conduct.
NBA evp-head of basketball operations Joe Dumars and NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio, also attended the meeting.
According to the NBA, “The league office conducted an investigation of the March 4 incident.
“Based on the information obtained during the investigation, the league did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period.
“The investigation also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility, and the Colorado authorities did not find sufficient cause to charge Morant with a crime."
“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” said Silver via the league. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.
“He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior.
"Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court.”
Morant has marketing deals that include Nike and Powerade.