Ja Morant made an announcement on Saturday that he will use his time away from basketball to “get help,” following a troubling series of recent incidents that have tarnished the young star’s reputation.
The Memphis Grizzlies issued a statement Saturday that Morant “will be away from the team for at least the next two games.”
Morant then followed up with his own statement later Saturday.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” the statement read (via The Athletic). “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Grizzlies’ Ja Morant releases statement and says he is going to take time away to receive help: pic.twitter.com/5TxS7Qh3kJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 4, 2023
The Grizzlies’ decision to sit Morant came hours after he was seen displaying a gun on his Instagram Live early Saturday morning. That incident came less than three days after a report emerged that Morant had been accused of repeatedly punching and then flashing a gun at a 17-year-old and threatening a mall security guard in two separate incidents.
Morant claimed he acted in self defense against the teen during a basketball-related incident.
NBA fans noted Morant’s statement points out the obvious — he needs to get help.
he was showing off a gun on ig live this morning and runs with a crew of ppl who pointed a lazer and or gun at pacers bus to help deal with “stress” ??????????????????
— Ethan Price (@Paradox_EP) March 4, 2023
Time away from social media will fix the problem.
— Keculah 🇱🇷 (@HenryKeculahJr) March 4, 2023
Fair enough. Hope he finds what he’s looking for
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) March 4, 2023
I remember when I would cope with stress by flashing my gun at the club 🤣
— Certified (pre-owned) Ackerman (@skippertonfs1) March 4, 2023
He’s stressed out so he goes to a strip club with a gun? 😂. That’s a wild support system that kid has.
— Alex (@Alexmcbme) March 4, 2023
Guy wants to be Iverson so bad.
— Raio (@raiojr) March 4, 2023
Morant, 23, is scoring 27.1 points per game this season and is always a highlight waiting to happen with a spectacular dunk or chase-down block. Lately, though, he’s been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
[Shams Charania, The Athletic]
