Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Ja Morant
That all depends on how you look at the situation.
Adam Silver and the NBA made good on their promise to
address the Ja Morant situation after the NBA Finals so that it would not be a distraction and take a focus off the games and whoever won. The decision finally came the day after the Denver Nuggets celebrated winning the organization’s first NBA championship.
In a statement from Adam Silver, the league decided to suspend the Grizzlies superstar for 25 games without pay for “conduct detrimental to the league.”
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“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver
said in a statement, per
ESPN. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
The 25 games are not the end all be all. That number could increase if Morant fails to fulfill conditions for his return.
“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time,” Silver continues. “Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
Ja Morant Issues A Statement
The Grizzlies star did issue a statement immediately following the announcement of his punishment, and he sounded remorseful and apologetic while promising “to be better.”
“I’ve had to reflect, and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused. I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates, and the city of Memphis. Morant’s statements begin. “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.”
Morant will lose over $7 million in salary for the games missed, but that could be more if he
loses endorsements deals with Nike and Powerade, and he is well aware of that and made sure to talk to those companies in his statement.
“To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands,” Morant said in his statement.
But we heard all this before after he was
suspended following a similar incident in March.
Twitter Believes He Dodged A Serious Bullet
Immediately after the announcement, NBA Twitter wasted no time reacting to the news. “Only 25” was a trending topic on Elon Musk’s broken platform, with many believing that Ja Morant got a slap on the wrist for his second strike.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
