Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant’s camp says the gun the 23-year-old showed in a May Instagram Live video was a toy gun. NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined the “Dan Patrick Show” on June 8 and said he’s aware of that claim.
“The very issue for Ja, certainly in the first incident, was treating a gun as a toy,” Silver said. “That’s what we’re talking about and I think that’s what the danger is to society. Taking a gun, live-streaming it. … I think everyone agrees that gun safety is important. Guns aren’t toys.”
Morant has been suspended from all offseason activities. He has shown a gun on two IG Live videos since March. The All-Star was suspended for eight games the first time.
“I also think it’s important to point out that this is not just about disciplining him and crossing your fingers hoping it’s not a third time,” Silver said. “I recognize that he needs some assistance from the league office, his union, his team. … My hope is that wherever we come out in terms of discipline, there is an acceptance that we need to find ways to engage with each other going forward so that he can change the trajectory that he’s now on, which is not a positive one.”
“I want to find a way where, frankly, he’s not being kicked to the curb, but basketball will take a back seat and first and foremost, we’re going to focus on him as a young man developing as a better person as someone who is more responsible.”
Morant signed a five-year, $194.3 million designated rookie contract extension with Memphis in July 2022. He averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists this season while shooting 46.6% from the field, 30.7% from beyond the arc and 74.8% from the free-throw line.
The Grizzlies won 51 games in the regular season and were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. However, Memphis lost to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason in six games. Silver and the NBA do not appear to be buying anything that Morant’s camp is trying to sell.
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