
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been suspended by the team for at least the next two games after he was seen displaying what appeared to be a gun at a nightclub on his Instagram live account early on Saturday morning, March 4.
An NBA spokesman said the league was aware of the post and was investigating.
Morant apologized later on Saturday and said he planned to take some “time away.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down,” he said in a statement.
“I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
At least one sponsor, Nike, is sticking with Morant, so far.
“We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being,” the company said in a statement.
The suspension comes after the 23-year-old All-Star was the subject of a Washington Post report this week that said he was accused in police reports of punching a teenager repeatedly during a pickup basketball game and later emerged with a gun.
Morant also allegedly made threats against the head of security at a Memphis mall, which led to the filing of a police report, the paper said.
No charges were brought in the separate incidents from last summer.
Morant is averaging 27.1 points, 8.2 assists, and 6.0 rebounds in 53 games this season for the Grizzlies, who are currently in second place in the Western Conference.
The suspension means he will miss Sunday’s game against the Clippers and Tuesday’s game against the Lakers. – Rappler.com
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