Grizzlies star Ja Morant “will be away from the team for at least the next two games,” the team announced Saturday, after an NBA spokesman said the league was investigating a social media post involving Morant showing what appears to be a gun. Here’s what you need to know:
In an Instagram Live clip, which did not appear on Morant’s account as of Saturday afternoon but was widely circulated on Twitter, Morant is seen flashing what appears to be a gun in a nightclub.
It’s not clear where the video was taken. The Grizzlies lost to the Nuggets in Denver on Friday night and are scheduled to face the Clippers in Los Angeles on Sunday.
In a statement later Saturday, Morant said he takes “full responsibility for (his) actions last night” and is “going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and (his) overall well-being.” Morant added: “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down.”
Backstory
The 23-year-old was the subject of a Washington Post report this week detailing a string of off-court incidents dating from last summer, including that the head of security at a Memphis mall filed a police report alleging that Morant “threatened” him during an altercation.
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Morant was also the subject of recent controversy as the NBA probed an incident in which Morant’s acquaintances allegedly aggressively confronted members of the Pacers traveling party near the team’s bus in the loading area of FedExForum after a game on Jan. 29 in Memphis.
The Athletic reported last month that someone in a slow-moving SUV — which Morant was riding in — trained a red laser on members of the Pacers traveling party near the team’s bus.
The two members of the party who spoke to The Athletic said that they did not see who shined the laser from the SUV. They also don’t know if the laser was attached to a gun, but they believed it was. A Pacers security guard in the loading area at the time remarked: “That’s 100 percent a gun.”
“We felt we were in grave danger,” one person who was present said. The two sources who spoke to The Athletic for the report requested anonymity because they fear retribution from those who confronted them. They said they considered filing a report with police but decided against it for the same reason.
The Pacers alerted the NBA, and Bass told The Athletic that the league probed the matter.
“NBA Security and league investigators conducted an investigation interviewing numerous eyewitnesses and reviewing video surveillance following allegations made by the Indiana Pacers organization regarding a postgame incident on Jan. 29. While we substantiated that a postgame situation arose that was confrontational, based on interviews and other evidence gathered, we could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon,” Bass said. “Certain individuals involved in the postgame situation and a related matter during the game that night have been subsequently banned from attending games in the arena. If additional information becomes available related to the postgame situation, the league office will conduct a further review.”
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The Athletic contacted the Grizzlies about the incident requesting comment from the team and Morant. A spokesperson responded that the team “complied completely with the league’s investigation and are abiding by its findings” and declined further comment.
During the Jan. 29 game, several Pacers and Grizzlies team members verbally sparred and Morant’s father, Tee, and one of Morant’s longtime friends, Davonte Pack, also directed comments at Pacers players.
In the third quarter, Pack walked onto the court and directed expletives at multiple Pacers players. A game referee interceded, called arena security and Pack was removed from the floor.
Morant, who is averaging 27.1 points per game this season, had 27 points, four rebounds and 10 assists in the 113-97 loss in Denver on Friday.
(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)