Ja Morant’s punishment, presumably related to his brandishing of a weapon on social media, has been revealed.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the NBA had landed on a decision related to consequences for Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s brandishing of a weapon on Instagram Live for a second time in a matter of months during the NBA Finals.
Silver, though, said the league would wait to make the announcement in order to not take away from the ongoing playoffs.
With the Denver Nuggets winning it all earlier this week, the path was cleared to finally make the punishment official.
Ja Morant receives suspension from NBA
Ja Morant received a 25-game suspension from the NBA according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
Morant, months ago, appeared to brandish a gun on Instagram Live while in a vehicle. His camp alleged the gun was a prop or toy. This comes after Morant brandished another weapon months before that in a Denver nightclub.
The official punishment is for “conduct detrimental to the league,” and the league confirmed it was due to the second May 13 incident.
After the first incident, Morant took some time away from the team and announced he would be seeking help. He did a public interview with Jalen Rose and met with the commissioner in New York as well to discuss the incident.
Months later, the incident repeated itself almost exactly.
Adrian Wojnarowski followed up with more details, saying his return after the 25 games served will be conditional. The NBA’s press release states, “Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”