Ja Morant, who has not played since March 3, has been suspended by the NBA.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the NBA suspended the Memphis Grizzlies star for eight games without pay “for conduct detrimental to the league.”
Morant has missed the past five games as he’s taken time away from the Grizzlies after a March 4 incident in which he flashed a gun on Instagram Live while at a nightclub. Those games will count as part of the suspension. He will miss Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat, followed by two more games, then be eligible to return on March 20 against the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN.
The suspension follows a report that Morant met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in New York on Wednesday.
Morant, who has been involved in several troubling incidents this season, issued a statement when he stepped away from the team, saying he needed “to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being,”
The two-time All-Star has been undergoing counseling in a program in Florida.
The NBA world quickly reacted to news of Morant’s suspension, with many fans feeling he got off too easy.
Could have been 50. He got lucky
— Per Sources (@PerSources) March 15, 2023
Should have been the whole season
— Michael Jay (@MichaelJayDFS) March 15, 2023
Oh please 😂😂 then it’s like a 2 game suspension
— BigSportsGuy ☮️ ✌🏽 (@KaleoChrist22) March 15, 2023
Their own policy calls for a 50 game suspension when a player has a weapon during team travel. So that. But the NBA covers for its stars more than any league in professional sports so of course they wouldn’t actually follow their own protocol
— Jim Roslansky (@JRos05) March 15, 2023
Ja Morant, 8 game suspension without pay. He got off easy.
— The Rod (@dtjenkins1261) March 15, 2023
Ja Morant came to Florida for spring break and now he’s all healed. A new man.
Adam Silver is a joke … 8 game suspension. 🤦🏻♂️
— Al (@AlMagicHQ) March 15, 2023
