NBA commissioner to meet with Ja Morant ‘this week’ as end of suspension for online gun incident nears
Morant was suspended in June for a second online gun incident
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is approaching the end of his 25-game suspension, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he’ll speak with the two-time All-Star this week.
Morant was suspended in June following an investigation into a second incident where he appeared to flash a gun on social media.
Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the press before the NBA In-Season Tournament Finals game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"I have been monitoring the situation closely, and him," Silver told reporters on Saturday. "In fact, we intend to have a check-in this week directly, Ja and I. But folks in the league office, together with Ja and his team and the players association, have been in regular contact essentially weekly. They’re having those checkpoints. We, together, laid out a program for him over the last several weeks, and to the best of my knowledge, he’s complied with everything he’s been asked to do.
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"As I said, we’re gonna talk directly once at least this week before he comes back. I think we’ll review the program and just make sure the conditions are in place for him to be successful going forward."
When announcing Morant’s suspension, Silver said Morant would be "required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior" before he could return to play.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is introduced before the Lakers game during the NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2023, at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The 25-game mark for the Grizzlies is a Dec. 18 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Morant would be eligible to return on Dec. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Morant was first suspended for eight games in March after he went on Instagram Live and displayed a firearm "while in an intoxicated state at a Denver area nightclub," according to the NBA. Less than two months later, he was again seen on a friend’s social media "intentionally and prominently displaying a gun."
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Ja Morant of the Grizzlies during a team practice on Oct. 3, 2023, at FedExForum in Memphis. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Grizzlies are off to a rough start without their star, sitting at 6-15 after beginning the year on a six-game losing streak.
Morant is a two-time All-Star and the winner of the 2019-2020 Rookie of the Year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report