Ja Morant was simply hit with an 8-game suspension with out pay for flashing a gun at a strip membership earlier this month … with NBA commissionerAdam Silver calling his conduct “irresponsible, reckless and probably very harmful.”
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Ja — who met with Silver and different NBA execs in NYC on Wednesday — might be eligible to return to the Memphis Grizzlies on March 20 towards the Dallas Mavericks.
The league carried out an investigation into the incident … and decided Ja was “in an intoxicated state” when he confirmed the firearm on his Instagram Dwell.
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The league says the investigation couldn’t decide Ja owned the gun, introduced it to the membership, and even had it “past a short interval.”
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The league additionally says its investigation didn’t discover that Morant had the gun whereas touring with the Grizzlies or at any NBA facility.
Morant apologized shortly after the video surfaced … and sought therapy at a counseling program in Florida.
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Silver did not maintain again when addressing Morant’s actions … saying, “Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and probably very harmful.”
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“It additionally has critical penalties given his huge following and affect, notably amongst younger followers who look as much as him. He has expressed honest contrition and regret for his habits.”
Silver says Morant has “made it clear” he used the incident as a studying expertise … and he now understands his position as one of many faces of the NBA.
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The suspension contains the video games Morant has already missed throughout his time away from the crew … and sources inform ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski his “ramp as much as return” will begin on Monday.