Ja Morant suspended 25 games Stephen A. and Woj offer opinions {VIDEO}

Nike Removes Ja Morant Sneakers from App and Site

On First Take, Stephen A., Woj and the crew discuss Ja Morant’s suspension, Golden State’s new GM, and Michael Jordan’s decision to sell the Hornets. Plus, where Zion could end up next season and how Stephen A. would change things up for the Knicks next year.

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Memphis Grizzlies suspend Ja Morant for a second time after he was seen brandishing a gun on Instagram - two months after eight game ban for showing off a firearm in a Denver strip club
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies leaves the court after Game Six of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)125-85

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is reportedly facing a long suspension after flashing a gun on Instagram Live — again.

According to TMZ, Nike has pulled Morant’s signature shoes from its app and website. On April 19, the Ja 1 went on sale and became an instant success, CBS Sports reports.

Morant signed a multi-year deal with Nike in May 2019, but his endorsement could be at risk due to his recent activity on social media. In March, he flashed a pistol inside a Denver strip club. Most recently he was seen holding a gun on Instagram live.

The 2x All-Star was suspended for eight games after the March incident. He later spoke about the controversy in an interview with Jalen Rose.

Jalen Rose.

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NBA Countdown | Ja Morant tells ESPN: “I’m gonna show everyone who Ja really is and what I’m about.”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been suspended from team activities after an Instagram Live video appearing to show him flashing a gun while in a vehicle with others circulated on social media Sunday, just two months after the athlete was suspended over a similar video.
Morant is suspended from all team activities “pending League review,” the Grizzlies announced on Twitter, adding the team had no further comment.
It is not known when or where the video was shot. CNN has reached out to Morant’s representative, the Grizzlies, and the NBA for comment.
In March, the NBA suspended Morant for eight games without pay for “conduct detrimental to the league” after he was seen in another Instagram Live video holding a gun at a nightclub in Glendale, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
At the time, the league said an investigation “did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period. The investigation also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility.”

Glendale police did not press charges against Morant.

Morant met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after the Denver incident. The 23-year-old told ESPN they had an “open discussion.”

Morant’s conduct “was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” Silver said in a statement. “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 behavior. 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 statement said.

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – FEBRUARY 28: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at FedExForum on February 28, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Later in March, Morant apologized, telling reporters he received counseling to handle his stress and promising to “be more responsible.”
“I’m completely sorry for that (his ban),” Morant said at the time. “So my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible, more smarter and don’t cause any of that no more.”
He attributed the incident in part to stress.
“I went (to Florida) to counseling to learn how to manage stress. Cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I’ve tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes.”
Morant was born in South Carolina and attended Murray State University before being drafted by the Grizzlies during the 2019 NBA draft. He was recognized as the NBA Rookie of the Year at the end of his first season.

The Grizzlies season ended last month when they were eliminated from the playoffs by the LA Lakers.

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Fat Joe Slams Father of Ja Morant for Getting Drunk at Games Instead of Parenting His Son | WATCH

"I don't condone it or any type of violence, but I take full responsibility from my actions. I made a bad mistake. I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future, I'm going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative that everybody got."

Whew! Ja Morant Won’t Face Criminal Charges Over Flashing Gun in Video | WATCH

Fat Joe has called out Tee Morant, father of NBA player Ja Morant, for getting drunk at games instead of prioritizing his family matters. 

The rapper’s criticism comes after the Memphis Grizzlies announced Sunday that Morant would “be away from the team for at least the next two games,” after he posted a video that showed the 23-year-old briefly flashing what appears to be a gun. 

Morant later apologized and said he would “take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said in a statement. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down.”

Meanwhile, Fat Joe says Tee Morant needs to stop relishing in his newfound fame and instead “school his son” before he loses his career.

“Ja Morant always got his father there,” Fat Joe said, Vlad TV reports. “Instead of enjoying the scene and getting drunk at the games, he better school his son before the kid loses his career [and] loses all the greatness he gotta bring. You gotta understand, as a fan, I’m selfish, I don’t want nothing to happen to Ja Morant because he got so many Christmases, so many birthdays, so many times to light them up on TV. He is must see TV. I do not want this kid to get in trouble. They said he’s still young, that means nothing…You cannot be out there punching people with a gun…Somebody tell this future billionaire to sit his a*s down!”

The hip-hop star added, “You did not come this far to f*c* this sh*t up. Your family has to really be your family and talk to you, and I hope that somebody gets him a copy of this, ’cause I don’t make money off Ja Morant, I’m just telling you the truth…”

Watch Fat Joe’s message to Tee and Ja Morant in the clip below, which begins at the 2:58 mark.

Looks Like NBA Star Ja Morant is Out Indefinitely After Gun Incident | VIDEOs

Facing three injuries, the Memphis Grizzlies have taken another player off their court. But this time, it’s due to police and NBA investigations into the team’s star player.
The Grizzlies lost their second straight game Tuesday without star guard Ja Morant, who is under investigation after the 23-year-old posted an Instagram Live video of himself Saturday appearing to hold a gun at a nightclub outside of Denver.
Morant has apologized for his actions via his representation on Saturday, after Memphis announced he would be away from the team.

Morant said he would take time away “to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday there is no timetable for Morant’s return. The team tweeted Wednesday that Morant will miss at least four more games, meaning he will return no earlier than March 17.

Morant is averaging 27.1 points per game in his fourth NBA season.

The Instagram video, posted early Saturday morning and shared widely on social media, shows Morant briefly flashing what appears to be a gun while listening to music at a nightclub.

The police department in Glendale, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, said Wednesday the agency won’t recommend charges against Morant.

“(The department) was not able to determine that probable cause existed for the filing of any charges. In this case, it should be noted that on the night in question (police) did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any type,” department officials said in a statement.

No one made a complaint and investigators concluded no one was threatened or menaced with a gun, police said.

The league is also investigating the two-time All-Star point guard and the video, an NBA spokesperson told CNN.

It’s unknown why Morant was carrying a gun or if it was his. The Grizzlies played in Houston against the Rockets on March 1 before heading to Denver for a game against the Nuggets on March 3.

If Morant did bring the gun onto team facilities — which also includes the team plane — he is subject to NBA discipline according to its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The CBA states that players are prohibited from carrying firearms while “physically present at a facility or venue owned, operated, or being used by a Team, the NBA, or any League-related entity, and whenever a player is traveling on any NBA-related business, whether on behalf of the player’s Team, the NBA, or any League-related entity”

If a player is in violation of the ruling in the CBA, they could face a fine and/or a suspension.

“The Commissioner shall have the power to suspend for a definite or indefinite period, or to impose a fine not exceeding $50,000, or inflict both such suspension and fine upon any person who, in his opinion, shall have been guilty of conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the Association,” the CBA reads.

While it is unclear what punishment Morant could face, the most recent example of a gun-related incident came in the 2009/10 season when Gilbert Arenas, a three-time All-Star, was suspended until the end of the season — 50 games — for bringing unloaded guns into his team’s locker room, and making light of the incident once he was punished.

Arenas pleaded guilty but avoided jail time and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation, was embroiled in a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton — who was also suspended the rest of the season for the incident — over money in a poker game.

The US government said at the time that Arenas brought at least one firearm into the Washington Wizards’ locker room.

Arenas would later return to the Wizards, while Crittenton was released by Washington after his suspension, playing two more years of professional basketball before being charged with murder in August 2011. In April 2015, Crittenton plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are not having a great time of it on the court. Their 112-103 defeat by the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena in LA on Tuesday came two days after losing in the same building to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way for the Grizzlies, finishing with 26 points, but it wasn’t enough as a dominant Anthony Davis — who racked up 30 points and 22 rebounds — and 17 points each for Dennis Schröder, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves led the surging Lakers to a seventh win in 10 games as they attempt to make the playoffs.

Still, the Grizzlies sit third in the Western Conference with a 38-26 record.

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Ja Morant Apologizes After Video Shows Him Holding Gun in Nightclub | VIDEOs

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Sunday there is no timetable for star guard Ja Morant to return to the team after posting a video of himself on his Instagram live on Saturday in which he appeared to be holding a gun.

“There’s not a definitive timeline,” Jenkins said while speaking to reporters before Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“We have said that it’ll be at least these two games. We are taking it a day at a time. This is going to be an ongoing healing process. I can’t comment on the terms of the exact timetable is going to be because this really isn’t a timetable situation.”

On Saturday, the Grizzlies announced Morant would “be away from the team for at least the next two games,” after posting the video.

In the clip, posted early Saturday morning and shared widely on social media, the 23-year-old briefly flashes what appears to be a gun while reportedly listening to music at a nightclub, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

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Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apologized via his representation Saturday after posting a video of himself earlier in the day, appearing to hold a gun.

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” the statement 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.”

The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies had already announced earlier Saturday Ja Morant would “be away from the team for at least the next two games,” after the Instagram Live post.

The star point guard’s Instagram and Twitter accounts have now been deactivated.

The league is investigating the star point guard and the video, according to NBA insiders.

“We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating,” Mike Bass, NBA spokesman told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

In the clip, posted early Saturday morning and shared widely on social media, the 23-year-old briefly flashes what appears to be a gun while reportedly listening to music at a nightclub, according to Wojnarowski.

CNN has reached out to Morant’s representation for further comment.

The rest of the team will travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Sunday and the Lakers on Tuesday, both at the Crypto.com Arena.