On a typical Sunday morning, I go through the same routine that I imagine 90% of the population my age goes through. I wake up and check my phone. I don’t do this because I’m expecting anything in particular. But when you have been clocked out of life for 8 hours, you naturally want to immediately figure out if you missed anything of significance. Did anyone important pass away? Did any major trades happen in sports? Did one of your friends pass along a funny video for your amusement? Unfortunately, this past Sunday I woke up expecting to get ready to see family on Mother’s Day. A drama free day. Instead, I woke up to multiple group texts regarding the latest shenanigans from Grizzlies star Ja Morant. One of them read:
“Guys…Have either of you been on social media at all this morning? I just don’t understand why the grizzlies can’t have anything nice”
As soon as I read this I knew something bad happened. I checked another group text and there was the video. Ja Morant was on IG live flashing a gun, the exact same actions that led to a widespread controversy just two months ago. I couldn’t believe it. My initial thought was that this had to be an old video that resurfaced. Ja Morant was reckless in the past, but he changed since then. He learned from his mistakes. No more Ja Morant in the tabloids. More discipline on and off the court. These are all things that Ja Morant said following his run of bad decisions during the season that ultimately led to him facing an 8 game suspension. And I believed him. The Grizzlies fans, players, and staff believed him. Commissioner Adam Silver believed him. So there was no way this video could be new…
It turns out, the video was indeed new, and Ja Morant fooled us all. In an Instagram live video that was being watched by roughly 100 people, Ja Morant felt the sudden urge to wave a gun around on camera yet again. His friend instantly moved the camera away. He knew what Ja just did was careless. But that half a second was all it took. So here we go again.
I’ve seen a lot of discussion locally about why this is such a big deal. Citizens of Tennessee are legally allowed to own a firearm. Ja Morant didn’t break any laws. So what’s the big deal?
Yes, Ja Morant has every right to own a gun. I’m confident he is not the only player in the NBA to own a gun. Yet, he is the only player in the NBA who has the uncontrollable desire to wave the gun around on camera time and time again. The issue is that these actions followed a series of concerning behaviors from Ja Morant. In March, the Washington Post released a detailed article diving into some of the off court issues Ja has faced over the last year. Just a quick reminder on some of the troubling incidents involving him: punching a minor during a pick up dispute, threatening a mall employee after an altercation with his family, allegedly pointing a gun at the Indiana Pacers’ team bus following an altercation with some players during the game, and tweeting “it’s free to see how hollows feel” to another fan (look it up if you need more context).
The weekend following this report, Ja Morant went on IG live from a Colorado strip club and waved a gun around on camera. This was the breaking point for Ja with the Grizzlies. He was ultimately suspended from the team for 8 games, and he was the headline of sports media for weeks following this. After taking time off and having a conversation with Adam Silver, Ja was able to return to the team under the assumption that he would be more disciplined with his behavior. Yet, Ja couldn’t make it through three weeks of the offseason without returning back to his previous antics.
The NBA is a private business. They expect their players, especially superstar players, to conduct themselves in a reasonable manner off the court. Ja Morant’s recent behavior certainly represents “conduct detrimental to the league” which is clear grounds for suspension. Many thought the initial 8 game punishment was light under the circumstances. Adam Silver gave Ja the benefit of the doubt. He believed him when he said he would make better decisions, and therefore act as a better representation of the league. This is why the recent video is so concerning. Ja Morant clearly did not take the initial punishment seriously, and I expect Adam Silver to take that into consideration when he issues his inevitable second suspension.
Silver spoke publicly about the incident prior to the draft lottery on Tuesday. "Honestly, I was shocked when I saw that video," Silver told ESPN's Malika Andrews from the NBA's draft lottery Tuesday in Chicago. "Now, we're in the process of investigating it, and we'll figure out exactly what happened the best we can. The video is a bit grainy and all that, but I'm assuming the worst." It’s hard not to assume the worst the way events have unfolded.
More from Silver: "Again, the consequences there -- an eight-game suspension -- was pretty serious and something that he, at least to me, seemed to take incredibly seriously in that time. And we spoke for a long time about not just the consequences that could have on his career, but the safety issues around it -- [Morant] could've injured, maimed, killed himself, someone else with an act like that -- and also the acknowledgment that he's a star. He has an incredibly huge following, and [we discussed] my concern -- and I thought he shared with me -- that millions, if not tens of millions, of kids globally would have seen him do something that was celebrating in a way that act of using a firearm in that fashion.”
Adam Silver is clearly frustrated that he was led to believe Ja would change. He gave him a light punishment the first go around. I, along with the majority of the NBA community, expect a harsher suspension this time. The expectation is that Morant will likely be suspended for somewhere between 20 and 40 games. Even as a hardcore Grizzlies fan, it would be hard to argue against this. This series of reckless behavior has become a pattern for Ja, and it’s clear that his one or two counseling sessions in Florida have not changed a thing.
If the public humiliation wasn’t enough to change his behavior, you would think the financial implications may be enough. Ja was on track to earn All-NBA honors this past season, but his suspension basically took him out of the running for this award. This ultimately cost him $40 million in potential incentives from his upcoming max contract. Now he will likely lose another five to ten million dollars from his salary next season, and he faces the risk of losing endorsements from Nike and Powerade which could cost tens of millions more. When it’s all said and done, Ja could be slowly costing himself nearly $100 million with his poor decision making.
Does this matter to Ja? As of now, it seems that the answer is no. So where do we go from here? From the Grizzlies perspective, the only thing you can really do at this point is hope that the inevitable second suspension turns things around once and for all. You can’t trade Ja Morant at this point in time. Ja’s value is at an all time low, and you would never get a fair return for the quality of player he is.
The theme of the Grizzlies’ end of season media day was that Ja, Jaren, and Bane are the three leaders of the team, and they planned to carry that into next year. At this point, you have to scratch Ja off that list. The leaders of this team are Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. Perhaps Ja can regain that status at some point in the future, but we have a long way to go.
For Ja, it’s time to decide if he wants to seriously turn things around. He is only 23 years old, and he is one of the most polarizing players in the league when he is on the court. He still has time to correct this, and this whole situation can be a blip on the radar of an otherwise spectacular career. The problem is, we said the same things the last time this happened, and to this point Ja has shown no willingness to change. Many have said that Ja needs to make changes to his inner circle, which may be true. But at the end of the day, it is Ja Morant himself making these decisions. His friend instantly pulled the camera away. He knew Ja was making a mistake. So it’s hard to continue the narrative of blaming anyone else other than himself.
Time will tell how Ja Morant responds. For now, I’ll continue to wake up and hold my breath each morning as I check my phone and hope for a drama-free offseason from this point forward.
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