The NBA had completed its investigation of Ja Morant’s most recent public infringement prior to the commencement of the NBA Finals. However, in order to avoid overshadowing the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, Adam Silver and the league executive office decided to wait until the Finals (and the celebration parade) were done before issuing his penalty
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The 2023 NBA Finals are already in the books, and we now know how hard the NBA is going to come down on Morant this time. Morant was banned for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 NBA season. Silver said in his formal statement following the suspension:
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again use a firearm on social media is alarming and troubling, especially given his similar behavior in March, for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Friday. “The possibility that other young people will follow Ja’s example is particularly concerning.” Under these circumstances, we feel a 25-game ban is reasonable and sends a clear message that reckless and irresponsible firearms activity will not be condoned.”
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As you may recall, Morant was suspended when an Instagram live video of him brandishing a pistol surfaced in mid-May. This happened barely two months after the league punished Morant for eight games for a separate incident involving a pistol. This episode also brought to light a slew of additional Morant-related squabbles.
When Silver made his comments at the time, he had received Morant’s promise that something like this would not happen again. However, that was not the case, and as a result, Morant is facing a far heavier sentence this time around.
Only seven NBA player suspensions have been lengthier than the one Morant received.
While the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2023-24 schedule has yet to be released, they did not play their 26th game until December 9th last season. So, expect to see Morant back on the court in early/mid-December.
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