The NBA is expected to levy a significant suspension on Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been in hot water after a video emerged of him holding a gun on Instagram Live in May. That was the second incident in roughly two months for Morant, who faced an eight-game suspension during the regular season for similar conduct.
The NBA has since investigated the matter and uncovered more information. Rather ominously, Commissioner Adam Silver recently hinted that the league is waiting for the Finals to conclude before bringing matters to a head, stating that it would be unfair to the players and teams still competing if the league made the results public now.
To add fuel to the speculative fire, ESPN's Brian Windhorst hinted at the possibility of a "significant suspension."
NBA expected to severely punish Ja Morant after most recent social media incident
"I've never heard anything like it," Windhorst said, noting how unusual the involvement of the player's association is. "Trust me, typically the players' association isn't there as the discipline is being decided on and dolled out."
It would appear the NBA is taking the matter very seriously. Now with multiple incidents under his belt, not to mention the safety and image concerns tied to the display of firearms, Morant could be facing a long time away from the game.
The process, according to Windhorst, has been unlike anything we've seen before. The league has handed out significant suspensions in the past, most recently banning O.J. Mayo for two years for substance abuse. It would be shocking to see Morant's suspension approach anything that significant, but the Grizzlies should be prepared to be without their cornerstone point guard for the foreseeable future.
Morant issued an apology for the incident last month.
"I take full responsibility for my actions last night. 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 learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
Now, he awaits the league's verdict.