Ja Morant has been suspended for eight games without pay after being filmed holding a firearm at a club earlier this month; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver warned Morant's behaviour "has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans"
Wednesday 15 March 2023 20:20, UK
Ja Morant has been handed an eight-game ban for “reckless” conduct after he brandished a gun in a social media video.
The NBA has suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Morant for eight games without pay, after determining that him holding a firearm at a club in suburban Denver earlier this month was "conduct detrimental to the league".
Morant will miss his sixth game on Wednesday when the Grizzlies play in Miami. He will miss the next two games and be eligible to return on Monday when Memphis play Dallas.
The games already missed will count towards the suspension, and Morant will forfeit about $669,000 in salary.
"Ja's conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
"It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.
"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."
Silver met with Morant in New York on Wednesday shortly before announcing the league's decision.
Based on the information obtained during its investigation, the NBA concluded that the gun at issue neither belonged to Morant, nor was it brought by him into the nightclub, and wasn't 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.
The Grizzlies played at Denver on March 3. In the early hours of the morning the following day Morant started a livestream from inside a strip club called Shotgun Willies in Glendale, Colorado. The video quickly went viral.
The Grizzlies initially said Morant would miss at least two games. Hours later, Morant said in a statement distributed through the agency that represents him that he takes "full responsibility" for his actions and that he was going to "take some time away to get help."
ESPN reported that Morant sought counselling at a facility in Florida.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Morant would be ready to play on Monday when his suspension has elapsed.
Morant, a two-time All-Star, is averaging 27.1 points and 8.2 assists per game this season.
This is at least the second time in recent weeks that Morant has been the subject of a league investigation.
Morant's actions were looked into after a January 29 incident in Memphis that he said led to a friend of his being banned from home games for a year.
That followed a game against the Indiana Pacers; citing unnamed sources The Indianapolis Star and USA Today reported that multiple members of the Pacers saw a red dot pointed at them, and The Athletic reported that a Pacers security guard believed the laser was attached to a gun.
The NBA confirmed that unnamed individuals were banned from the arena but said its investigation found no evidence that anyone was threatened with a weapon.
Morant and a close friend also are involved in a civil lawsuit brought after an incident at Morant's home last summer, in which a 17-year-old alleged that they assaulted him.
