NBA News: Ja Morant was given an eight-game suspension for acting in a “reckless” manner after brandishing a firearm in a social media video.
After concluding that guard Morant’s possession of a weapon at a club in suburban Denver earlier this month constituted “conduct detrimental to the league,” the NBA suspended him for eight games without pay.
When the Grizzlies play in Miami on Wednesday, Morant will miss his sixth game. He will miss the following two contests but is eligible to play against Dallas on Monday.
The already missed games will be added to the punishment, and Morant will lose out on nearly $669,000 in compensation.
“Ja’s behaviour was irresponsible, reckless, and potentially very dangerous,” according to a statement by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
“With his huge popularity and influence, particularly among young followers who look up to him, it also has major repercussions.
“He has also made it plain to me that he has learnt from this experience and that he is aware that his duties to the Memphis Grizzlies and the NBA as a whole go far beyond his performance on the floor.”
On Wednesday, Silver visited Morant in New York before making the league’s decision public.
The NBA came to the conclusion that the in question gun did not belong to Morant, was not brought by him into the nightclub, and was only briefly displayed by him based on the evidence it learned throughout its investigation.
Moreover, the inquiry did not reveal that Morant had the pistol while travelling with the team or within any NBA facilities, and the Colorado authorities did not discover enough evidence to indict Morant.
On March 3, the Grizzlies played at Denver. Morant began a live stream from inside Glendale, Colorado’s Shotgun Willies strip club in the wee hours of the following morning. The video spread like wildfire.
At first, the Grizzlies predicted Morant would sit out at least two contests. In a statement released through the organisation that represents him hours later, Morant claimed that he accepted “all responsibility” for his conduct and that he would “take some time away to get therapy.”
According to ESPN, Morant visited a Florida institution for counselling.
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