Police in Tennessee conducted a welfare check on Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant on Wednesday, May 24 after the professional basketball player posted a string of concerning social media posts. A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to TMZ that officers went to Morant’s home shortly after the posts were shared. When officers arrived, Morant reportedly told them “that he is taking a break from social media,” the spokesperson adding, “he is fine.” Morant hasn’t commented on the incident.
The welfare check came shortly after Morant posted several pictures of himself and his family to his Instagram Story earlier in the day. One photo showed his mother and was captioned, “love ya ma,” with a second post of his father reading, “love ya pops.” A third image of his daughter read,” you da greatest babygirl love ya.” The posts concluded with a final image of Morant with the caption, “bye.” The posts were deleted a short time later.
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The cryptic and concerning social media behavior followed Morant’s suspension from the Memphis Grizzlies on May 14 after the NBA player was caught on Instagram Live with a gun for the second time in three months. In the video, which appeared during an Instagram Live session on the account of Morant’s friend Davonte Pack, Morant could be seen holding a gun in a car while he sang along to a rap song. In a statement shortly after the video surfaced, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said, per ESPN, “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.” Morant was ultimately suspended from all team activities.
The video followed a March 24 Instagram Live in which Morant could be seen flashing a gun in a Denver-area strip club. After that incident, Morant briefly left the Grizzlies and entered a counseling program and was eventually suspended eight games after meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Morant has only made one public comment since the most recent incident. In a statement released last Tuesday, he said, “I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
