Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant’s camp claims the gun the 23-year-old showed in a May IG Live video was a toy gun amid a looming NBA punishment announcement.
“Adam Silver is still going to go through with the suspension, looking like it should be 30-games even though the [NBA] knows it was a toy gun.”
Morant has been suspended from all offseason activities. Prior to Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters in Denver that he would wait to announce Morant’s suspension since he didn’t want to cause a distraction during the Finals.
“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information I think since I was first asked about the situation,” Silver said. “I will say we probably could have brought it to a head now, but we made the decision, and I believe the players association agrees with us, that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of the series to announce the results of that investigation.
“Given that we’re of course in the offseason, he has now been suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies indefinitely, so nothing would have changed anyway in the next few weeks. It seemed better to park that at the moment, at least any public announcement, and my sense now is that shortly after the conclusion of the Finals we will announce the outcome of that investigation.”
Morant showed a gun during an IG Live video in March. The All-Star, who signed a five-year, $194.3 million designated rookie contract extension with Memphis in July 2022, was suspended for eight games.
One of the top players in the NBA, Morant 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.
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