Adam Silver says ruling on Ja Morant to be announced AFTER the NBA Finals following pistol incident
Adam Silver says Ja Morant ruling will be announced AFTER NBA Finals after Grizzlies star’s second pistol-wielding incident on social media
- Silver says additional discipline won’t distract players in the finals
- Morant was already suspended by the league in March for a similar matter
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Thursday that the league will wait until after the completion of the Finals to punish Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant for brandishing a gun in a social media video.
In the video, which was posted on Instagram Live, Morant brandished the gun as he sat in the passenger seat of a car while listening to rap music.
It went viral on the morning of May 14, and the Grizzlies suspended Morant from all team activity later that day.
It was the second time in three months that Morant was caught on social media with a firearm.
He was previously suspended for eight games and sought help after a March 4 incident in which he filmed himself holding a gun at a Denver strip club following a 113-97 loss to the Nuggets.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says discipline for Ja Morant will be announced after the Finals
Morant brandished a gun on IG Live in early May — his second time this year
Prior to Game 1 of the Finals, Silver noted that “history of previous acts” and “the history of the individual player” were taken into account when the league decided how Morant would be penalized.
“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information, I think, since I was first asked about the situation,” Silver said.
“I will say we could probably have taken it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision, and I think the players’ union agrees with us, that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of the series to announce the results of that investigation.
“Since we are in the off-season, of course, he is now indefinitely suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies, so nothing would have changed in the next few weeks anyway.
“I thought it best to park that for now, at least any public announcement, and I now feel we’ll be announcing the outcome of that investigation shortly after the conclusion of the Final.”
Morant met with Silver and league officials in New York after his initial eight-game suspension in March to discuss the situation.
Silver said the 23-year-old seemed “sincere and serious” when the two met, but he’s not sure if the suspension caused Morant to change his ways in the wake of the most recent social media video.
“I don’t think we know yet what it takes to change his behavior. Same as I said then, he seems to be a fine young man,’ said Silver. “In terms of my dealings with him, I think he obviously made some mistakes, but he’s young.
The league suspended Morant for eight games after he did something similar in March
“I hope now – once we conclude at the end of our process what the right discipline is, that it’s not just about the discipline, but about what we, the players’ association, his team and him and the people around him. will do to create better conditions in the future.’
Morant is coming off his fourth season with Memphis after the Grizzlies selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft.
A two-time All-Star, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 61 games (59 starts) in 2022-23.
The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 104-93 in the opener of the NBA Finals on Thursday. The best-of-seven series ends no later than June 18, when Game 7 would be played if necessary.