Xavier Roger
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The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for eight games without pay for detrimental conduct, the league announced Wednesday.
Morant is eligible to return March 20, a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Morant was recently in a counseling program in Florida and met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in New York on Wednesday with Joe Dumars, the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations and NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio also in attendance.
The discipline was a result of Morant’s activity on social media when he went on Instagram Live and was shown handling a weapon while at a Denver nightclub, just hours after the team lost to the Nuggets on March 3.
The NBA immediately investigated the incident and but did not find that the weapon belonged to Morant, or that he possessed the gun while traveling with the Grizzlies, a direct violation of NBA protocol.
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Colorado authorities also investigated the incident but did not find anything to charge Morant with.
“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” 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. He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior.
“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.”
The 23-year-old Morant is in his fourth NBA season and is averaging 27.1 points, 8.2 assists, and six rebounds a game for Memphis. In the five games Morant has missed since the incident, the Grizzlies are 3-2, winning the last three games, and are currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
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