Commissioner Adam Silver says the NBA’s investigation into Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has essentially concluded, but the league will announce his punishment soon after the NBA Finals wrap up, noting a desire to not detract from the Nuggets and Heat, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter links).
“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information,” Silver said of Morant’s latest gun incident. “We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”
The Score has the video of Silver discussing Morant (Twitter video link). Silver said a “history of prior acts, the individual player’s history” and “the seriousness of the conduct” all factored into the league’s decision, adding that it was mostly a judgment call. He added that the National Basketball Players Association concurred with the decision to wait until after the Finals.
Derek Bodner of DailySix.com and Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group are among the reporters who point out (Twitter links) that if the goal was to not detract from the Finals, it’s bizarre that Silver chose to speak publicly about Morant’s status and dangle the carrot, so to speak, without an official announcement. A simple “no comment” may have sufficed.
Morant, the former Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, was suspended indefinitely by Memphis last month while the NBA investigated a social media video after he appeared to brandish a gun in an Instagram Live video that went viral. The incident came less than two-and-a-half months after Morant flashed a gun at a Denver-area strip club while streaming on Instagram Live. That video, which immediately prompted an investigation from the NBA, eventually led to an eight-game suspension.
Morant’s live stream in March was part of a series of troubling off-court incidents allegedly involving the 23-year-old, who punched a 17-year-old during a pickup game last summer, was accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game.
The 23-year-old hasn’t faced any criminal charges for those past incidents or either of his gun-related video streams, but the NBA has significant latitude to fine or suspend its players for conduct it deems detrimental to the league.
It seems likely that Morant will face a harsher penalty from the league this time around, not only for repeating the behavior that earned him his previous suspension, but for making the league office look foolish for any lenience it may have shown last time.
Sounds like the league is going to drop a bomb on Ja Morant, doesn’t it?
Yep. Honestly don’t blame them on this one. Showed him leniency the first time, likely on a condition that he doesn’t screw up again or it will be bad.
Ban him for the season AFTER the all star break
Just ban him for the season then, thats so stupid “after the all star break” – just say the full year and be over with it.
Silver gotta wait until he’s out of the laser’s eye before he makes the announcement.
And Ja will be barred from official nba activities in LVNV next month.
Suspend Ja and yourself silver. Has to wait. Ridiculous. This guy is such a snake
Give him break, he clearly didn’t know that someone was recording him…
lmao good one
Gotta be a year long ban.
A simple no comment is what a real leader would have said. Stern, for his ego-driven pathologies, was that. Silver isn’t. He needs the cover of consensus to feel secure in any decision. This is his way of gauging whether he has it.
Silver is weak and spineless. He decides by as you say consensus. Twitter opinions. Players walk all over him.
Likely a 25 game suspension.
Yep plus 57 more
25 is enough. there has been much worse that has happened in the NBA in the past but everyone in here believes that the NBA started in 2006 like that C span guy
He won’t be allowed to play or practice until October.
I understand the decision to wait…
But he could of deflected and said the investigation is ongoing…
This seems like it’s either going to be a light punishment or a heavy one and the NBA do not want the backlash from it to over shadow the Finals…
Half a season ….. 41 gms. Hammer time
GTFUA ……
Knowing Silver he will do the chicken hearted thing of making the announcement of a weak punishment sometime after the finals where it can get the least exposure.
One year ban would be appropriate but if it were me it would be a five-year ban.
Need to send a message that none of this will be tolerated.
Am I harsh?
Yes, but he was given a chance all ready to change his and has kept the same course, so time to bring down the most severe punishment possible.
5 year ban for someone who isn’t even in trouble with the law lmao ? Y’all are taking it too far at this point
Violence is bad mmmmmmkay
I don’t think it’s too harsh at all..
He’s already lost more than 40m and derailed a season…
That wasn’t enough to learn…
The NBA needs to set a precedent before another gun toting fool comes along…
I feel like Morant is going to get a punishment of at least half a season, because Silver has built it up so much. He’s kind of painted himself into a corner, because anything else will be seen as light. Not that’s he’s very consistent about his punishments or favors in the first place, so we’ll see.
Hey EonADS- this is off topic, but I wanted to ask you what your name means?
Also, you’re one of the few HR commentors that asks questions in the HR chats with the same name you use to comment. You pose good questions in the chats!
This to me says the NBA is actually going to shorten his suspension. I could easily see them sneaking in that Ja is suspended for 20 games right after the finals wrap up.
I will be interested in seeing if Silver issues a statement on what a 3rd incident would mean. Lets say his suspension is 35 games (seems like the median of all the guesses on here). What would be the punishment for a 3rd incident In February of next year?