Ja Morant now knows his fate.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies has been suspended for 25 games, the league announced on Friday. The suspension comes as a result of his second incident involving holding a gun while on Instagram Live.
Shortly after the league announced his punishment, Morant released a statement apologizing for his actions and vowing to be better.
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” Morant said in the statement. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates, and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman, and Robert Pera — who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me — I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.
“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision-making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season. I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”
For the second time, he sounds remorseful, but he has already messed up twice. So it begs the question of how Nike feels about this suspension and working with going forward.
Nike announced Friday that it’ll support Morant as he tries to get back on the right track.
“We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being,” Nike said. “We will continue to support him on and off the court.”
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Morant likely has no more chances as another screwup would lead to an even bigger suspension and Nike likely terminating their relationship.
Back in May, a video of Morant dancing in a car with a gun in his hand on Instagram Live began circulating on social media, which came 10 weeks after he had live-streamed himself “holding a firearm in an intoxicated state while visiting a Denver area nightclub,” as the league’s official statement described it.
The Grizzlies announced on May 14 that the two-time All-Star was “suspended from all team activities” while the NBA looked into the second incident.
After the initial incident in Colorado, Morant was suspended for eight games. Now, he’s at 25 games and will undoubtedly hurt the team in the standings.
Memphis’ season ended with a 125-85 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs after they had such high expectations.
