Ja Morant Suspended for 25 Games

Ja Morant Suspended Again

This will be Morant’s second suspension as earlier this year in March, the suspension came during Morant’s road game travels to face the Denver Nuggets when Morant started an Instagram live in a Denver strip club, showing a gun he was holding, costing Morant $700,000 of his salary. Following the incident, the Memphis guard entered a counseling program.

For the most recent suspension of 25 games, Morant had flashed what seemed to be or at the least resembled a handgun in a now-deleted video involving Morant and a friend- Davonte Pack in a vehicle on Instagram Live. This is just the latest controversy to involve Morant, all within recent times as well. You may remember hearing of Morant’s friend- Pack being involved in another controversy when the Grizzlies and Morant were involved in a confrontation with the Indiana Pacers during their game in January. Pack was involved from the crowd, but it doesn’t end there, Pack allegedly was involved in an altercation after the game when it was alleged a red dot sight had been aimed at Pacers personnel and received a year-long ban from the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Another incident involving Morant was last year when Morant allegedly punched a 17-year-old teenager at Morant’s residence, Morant is currently being sued by the teenager for the incident.

Details of the Suspension

NBA commissioner- Adam Silver said in a statement today, “Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games. The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”

The National Basketball Players Association is unhappy with the length of Ja Morant’s suspension and the arbitrary nature of the conditions for his return. “We believe it’s excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons…” NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio says. pic.twitter.com/HVhFYSELne

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2023

There are certain conditions that must be met before Morant can return; these conditions have not been released yet. Morant will be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games until his suspension is served fully.

Ja Morant statement: pic.twitter.com/KJCxTVEIRj

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2023

Morant released a statement following the news of the suspension, “I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused, I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates, and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman, and Robert Pera, who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me. I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands, and to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise. I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision-making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season. I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”

Nike will not cut ties with Ja Morant

“We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court.”

(h/t @ramonashelburne ) pic.twitter.com/yHQ2Wj2dpk

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 16, 2023

Morant is due to make $33.5 million this season, Morant will now lose over $300,000 per game which will be about a total of $12 million lost. Morant’s five-year $194 million max contract will begin this coming season. It could have been upgraded to a supermax if he had made All-NBA this season, costing him about $39 million in future earnings. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski pointed out today that there’s a 65-game minimum that players have to play to make All-NBA, be MVP, and win Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s out of consideration now for all of them due to the 25-game suspension. Morant’s ability to get the super max deal is based on making All-NBA, which he didn’t this previous season and he won’t be eligible for the upcoming season as well so he will not be able to get the super max now due to the suspension.