Ja Morant will sit out the next two Memphis Grizzlies games. The all-star was seen on his Instagram with a gun at a strip club, prompting the NBA to launch an investigation. Morant had already made negative headlines in recent weeks due to other incidents.
Morant had been partying after the Grizzlies lost in Denver and also livestreamed it on Instagram at 3am local time. There you saw the 23-year-old rapping shirtless, a little later the Grizzlies point guard also drew a gun. Morant has since deleted both his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
“We saw the video and will be investigating,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. Morant also issued a statement in which he took “full responsibility” for his actions last night.
“I apologize to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the franchise. I let them down. I will now take time off and seek help to find ways to cope better with the stress cope to feel better about myself.”
The Morant video came at a time when the point guard was following an article in the Washington Post got into the negative headlines. The paper reported that Morant had been targeted twice by police over the past summer, but no charges have been filed. Morant is said to have put a gun to a 17-year-old’s head after an argument broke out at a pickup game in Morant’s backyard.
Yes Morant: Strong allegations against Grizzlies star
A few days later, Morant’s mother is said to have called her son after an argument with an employee at a shopping center. The Grizzlies star then appeared with several friends and allegedly threatened security. Morant’s lawyer has already rejected these allegations. “All allegations involving guns have been investigated and have not been confirmed,” Jim Tanner said in a statement in response to the story Washington Post.
The NBA also investigated Morant last month after an incident at a Grizzlies game against the Indiana Pacers. In a report at The Athletic Several Pacers employees claimed that a red laser point was pointed at them as a car Morant was in passed them. Pacers staff suspected a gun.
There had already been a few arguments during the game, with Morant’s childhood friend Devonte Pack having to be taken away by security personnel, among other things. Pack received a one-year house ban. However, the NBA investigation had no consequences for Morant, since it could not be proven that a gun was actually pointed at the Pacers employees. As confirmed by Bass, the NBA would reopen the investigation if new evidence were found.
“Almost everything that was written there is wrong,” Morant said a few weeks ago. “That’s a fact, the investigation didn’t reveal anything. I don’t want to say more about it.”
