The Memphis Grizzlies suspended Ja Morant from all team activities Sunday after a video of him appearing to brandish a handgun surfaced on social media. This comes just two months after the first time Morant was suspended for a previous gun incident. The new video was captured from an Instagram Live originally streamed by Morant’s close friend Davonte Pack.
“We are aware of the social media video involving Ja Morant,” the Grizzlies said in a statement to the Commercial Appeal. “He is suspended from all team activities pending league review. We have no further comment at this time.”
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“We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass told ESPN Sunday.
On Saturday, Pack shared an Instagram Live video with Morant. The NBA All-Star is seen flashing a handgun while driving and singing. Although the video was deleted, it spread quickly on social media Sunday. TMZ also published the video.
The incident comes after a March 4 incident in which Morant filmed himself holding a gun inside a Denver area strip club while the Grizzlies were in Colorado to face the Nuggets. Morant did not face criminal charges, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suspended him for eight games. The South Carolina native also left the Grizzlies to attend counseling in Florida. When he returned to the Grizzlies, he said he would no longer use Instagram Live and vowed to make more responsible decisions.
“Just being more responsible, more smarter. That’s pretty much it for me,” Morant said, reports the Commercial Appeal. “Obviously, I made mistakes in the past, caused a lot of negative attention not only for me, but my family and my team and the organization, and I’m completely sorry for that. So my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible and more smarter and don’t cause any of that no more.”
Pack was with Morant during the Denver incident. He is also banned from attending Grizzlies home games at FedEx Forum after he got into an altercation with the Indiana Pacers’ traveling party. He was also with Morant when the player got into a fight with a high school prospect during a basketball game in Morant’s backyard. The teenager is suing Morant, claiming Morant went into his house after the fight and brought out a gun with him.
Morant helped the Grizzlies secure the second seed in the Western Conference, but they were eliminated in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers. He has a five-year, $194 million max contract, which will begin with the 2023-2024 season. Morant also has endorsements with Nike and Powerade.
