The NBA has handed down their punishment to Memphis star Ja Maront after he streamed a video of himself holding a gun while intoxicated at a nightclub.
The league suspended the Grizzlies guard for eight games without pay for ‘conduct detrimental to the league’.
He has already missed five games so far due to the incident and will be eligible to return on Monday (March 20) against Dallas.
Video had emerged earlier this month of Morant’s visit to a club in suburban Denver coming from the player’s Instagram Live.
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The punishment comes after an investigation into the incident that occurred on March 4.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver met with Morant on Wednesday (March 15) to reveal the outcome of their investigation.
In a statement via Fox Sports, Silver said: “Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous.
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“It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.
“He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behaviour. Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court.”
The investigation concluded that the gun did not belong to Morant or that he had carried it into the nightclub or any of the NBA facilities.
The NBA’s statement added that Colorado authorities did not have sufficient evidence to charge the player with any crime.
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He will reportedly lose $669,000 in salary as a result of his suspension.
In the wake of the incident Morant apologised for his actions and added that he had been dealing with stress.
The statement, released by his aganet Jim Tanner, read: “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies’ organization for letting you down.
“I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
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The 23-year-old was last season’s NBA Most Improved Player and an All-Star over the past two seasons.
Topics: NBA, Basketball, US Sports
Jayden Collins