“We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement earlier Saturday.
Morant began his Instagram Live session at 5:19 a.m. ET, hours after the Grizzlies’ 113-97 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The All-Star guard, who was shirtless and rapping along with the music, could be seen holding up a handgun with his left hand.
Morant’s video came in the wake of a Washington Post story published Wednesday detailing two incidents involving Morant this summer that resulted in police reports but no arrests. In the second incident, according to police interviews obtained by The Washington Post, a 17-year-old boy alleged Morant emerged from his house with a gun in his waistband and his hand.
According to ESPN, the Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant will not play in at least the next two games after his Instagram Live video, in which he displayed what appeared to be a gun while at a nightclub early Saturday morning.
The Grizzlies announced Saturday afternoon that Morant “will be away from the team for at least the next two games,” meaning he will not play Sunday against the LA Clippers or Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement earlier Saturday.
Morant began his Instagram Live session at 5:19 a.m. ET, hours after the Grizzlies’ 113-97 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The All-Star guard, who was shirtless and rapping along with the music, could be seen holding up a handgun with his left hand.
“Any and every allegation involving firearm has been fully investigated and could not be corroborated,” Jim Tanner, Morant’s agent, said in a statement in response to the Post’s story. “This includes the NBA investigation last month, in which they found no evidence.”
That investigation stemmed from a postgame confrontation between acquaintances of Morant and the Indiana Pacers’ traveling party after the Grizzlies’ home win on the 29th of January,2023.
Ja Morant said in a statement, “I take full responsibility for my actions last night, I’m sorry to my family, team-mates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis, and the entire Grizzlies 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 overall well-being”.
Only time will tell as to whether this misbehavior affects the Grizzlies’ quest for a championship this season.
