Ja Morant has been the face of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise for a while now. The young superstar started attracting plenty of attention in his rookie year, although he wasn’t a bright player right away. Ja improved on his weaknesses and emerged as one of the best guards in the league. As much as he would have hated this, Ja has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The 23-year-old landed in trouble after allegedly punching a 17-year-old teenager in Tennessee. If that wasn’t enough, he was also accused of pointing a gun at the boy during their altercation. This wasn’t proved, and Ja was not charged with any crime. However, that was not all. The NBA guard has been involved in several incidents with a mall security guard as well.
The NBA is suspending Ja Morant eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league.
Morant’s suspension covers the six games he’s missed since March 5. He is eligible to rejoin the Grizzlies and play vs. Dallas on Monday, March 20. pic.twitter.com/ATTVSNyHjM
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 15, 2023
Morant also flashed a gun on Instagram Live a couple of months ago and even faced a suspension of eight games without pay. He then released a statement mentioning he will be taking some time off to reflect on his actions. However, Ja has reportedly landed in trouble once again, for the same reason.
Will Ja Morant get suspended?
Very recently, Morant was allegedly caught flashing a gun during an Instagram Live. The NBA star could be seen jamming to an NBA YoungBoy song in a car with a couple of his friends. The Live ended, but fans were quick to screenshot the image of Ja holding a gun.
Ja Morant was allegedly seen showing off a gun on IG Live yesterday 😳 pic.twitter.com/fdhjBbIn9c
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 14, 2023
It is the second time that Morant has been caught doing this, and fans have been curious to know what kind of consequence he would have to face. A fan wrote, “im actually so shocked i can’t believe this,” indicating that Ja has caught them off guard once again.
im actually so shocked i can’t believe this
— Major Clark ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ (@islandcry) May 14, 2023
Wow here we go again
— KnickedUp (@KnickedUPs) May 14, 2023
This isn’t real it’s photoshopped
— Sliver (@Natasha3uat) May 14, 2023
Some have even pointed out that the image is edited and fake. The world has been witnessing plenty of AI-generated and edited images, which has led people to question almost everything on the internet. Regardless, a fan pointed out that it is unlikely to edit a clip from an Instagram Live.
Grizzlies suspended Morant from all team activities pending NBA review. NBA spokesperson Mike Bass says: “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.” https://t.co/qQZcGNGrA8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 14, 2023
The Grizzlies have suspended Morant once again. NBA’s statement mentions, “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.” The exact duration of the suspension has not been disclosed, as the league will continue to investigate the matter.