Shortly after the NBA announced that the league would be looking into an alleged incident involving Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies released a statement on this Saturday afternoon.
“The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least the next two games,” the statement read.
Statement from the Memphis Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/CLB2TG5nnI
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 4, 2023
The Grizzlies PR team notably turned off replies to the above tweet.
Morant, who was seen displaying a gun on his Instagram Live early Saturday morning, will be away from the Grizzlies for at least the team’s next two games. Even though the Grizzlies (38-24) are currently second in the Eastern Conference, the franchise will still hold Morant out of its next two games against the Los Angeles Clippers (Sunday) and Lakers (Tuesday).
The NBA world reacted to the news as the oft-troubled Morant has finally faced some repercussions for his actions.
“Hopefully Ja gets the message this is attempting to send,” Philly Sports Network’s Sean Barnard wrote.
Hopefully Ja gets the message this is attempting to send
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) March 4, 2023
Another fan had a seemingly harsh message for Morant and the Grizzlies, “with all the gun violence in todays america, suspending ja for 2 games, considering his influence, seems like a slap in the face literally EVERYONE….”
with all the gun violence in todays america, suspending ja for 2 games, considering his influence, seems like a slap in the face literally EVERYONE….
— mike (@MikeMAACC) March 4, 2023
“What is Ja doing??? Too good and too young to be sabotaging his own career,” wrote Vic Lombardi.
What is Ja doing??? Too good and too young to be sabotaging his own career. https://t.co/ELsL2T1ac2
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) March 4, 2023
“You can be a gangster or be a pro but you can’t be both,” said Carl Reed, a college football analyst for 247Sports.
You can be a gangster or be a pro but you can’t be both. https://t.co/3X9M6JQB3V
— Carl Reed Jr. (@CoachReedLive) March 4, 2023
“The Memphis Grizzlies franchise from top to bottom must take the reins to ensure Ja’s behavior doesn’t happen again moving forward,” said fan Brandon Nwokeji. “His value and impact to the city and league is too important to let these PR crises go unchecked. It’s time for an intervention in a big way.”
The Memphis Grizzlies franchise from top to bottom must take the reins to ensure Ja’s behavior doesn’t happen again moving forward. His value and impact to the city and league is too important to let these PR crises go unchecked. It’s time for an intervention in a big way. https://t.co/eK6vZlCwcN
— Brandon Nwokeji | Party People DJ (@brandon_nwokeji) March 4, 2023
“Interesting wording,” said Jonathan Jones, the lead NFL insider for CBS Sports.
Interesting wording https://t.co/XXfUxs1zyQ
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 4, 2023
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.