Ja Morant suspended 25 games by NBA
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The NBA is suspending Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for 25 games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league, the league announced Friday.
Morant will also be required to meet certain conditions before he is able to play and will be ineligible to participate in any league or team activities, including preseason games.
Those conditions have not been disclosed by the league.
The Memphis Grizzlies issued a brief statement that reads: “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.”
The suspension comes in light of a social media post showing Morant brandishing a pistol on May 13.
Commissioner Adam Silver said the league was waiting for the season to end to announce the suspension.
It was the second such incident in the span of months--Morant was previously suspended for eight games for flashing a gun on Instagram while he was at a nightclub in Colorado.
“Morant wielded the firearm while knowing that he was being recorded and that the recording was being live streamed on Instagram Live, despite having made commitments to the NBA and public statements that he would not repeat the conduct for which he was previously disciplined. On May 16, Morant issued a statement taking full accountability for his actions,” a statement from the NBA reads.
Silver called Morant’s actions “alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games.”
Silver says the suspension was done because “reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
The absence means the Memphis Grizzlies, who finished last season with the second best record in the Western Conference, will be without their star point guard for a large chunk of the 2023-24 season.
The Grizzlies were 12-10 without their All-Star point guard last season.
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