Ja Morant

Ja Morant Suspended Again For Another Instagram Live Incident

Home / Sports / Ja Morant Suspended Again For Another Instagram Live Incident

By Melanie VanDerveer on May 15, 2023 at 3:00 PM PDT

History repeats itself for Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant who is once again suspended by his team for flashing a gun during an Instagram Live this weekend.

This incident comes just two months after the last time he was suspended for the exact same thing.

Article continues below advertisement

Ja Morant Is Suspended Again Because Of Another Instagram Live Where A Gun Was Flashed

Ja Morant interview with Jalen Rose
NBA on ESPN - YouTube

The video, which has since either timed out and disappeared or has been deleted by the originator, shows the NBA star in the passenger seat of a car dancing and rapping with three other people.

At one point in the video, the camera pans over to Morant who appears to be holding a handgun pointed upward. The camera quickly pans away but screenshots of that fast moment tell a deja vu kind of story for Morant who was suspended for the exact same thing two months ago.

Not much is known yet about the incident, but the Grizzlies have released a statement.

Article continues below advertisement
Statement on Ja Morant by Memphis Grizzlies
ESPN - YouTube
Article continues below advertisement

"We are aware of the social media video involving Ja Morant. He is suspended from all team activities pending League review. We have no further comments at this time," the statement reads.

Many people are speaking out on the incident giving their thoughts. Well known sports journalist Stephen A. Smith talked about Morant on Sunday on ESPN. He said he is "incredibly disappointed" and "disgusted" by this turn of events for the Grizzlies star.

"This is a man that is universally recognized in NBA circles as being a highly, highly, intelligent individual. This is stupidity, and you know he's not stupid, so what would be the reason? Does he have other problems that we don't know about? It now warrants an investigation," Smith said.

Article continues below advertisement

"You got suspended for eight games, you've cost yourself over $600,000, you've jeopardized your deal with Nike since you got the Nike signature shoe, you jeopardized your deal with Powerade. No doubt a suspension is imminent from the League's office, you can bet the house on that. There's no way around it."

Article continues below advertisement
Stephen A. Smith on ESPN
ESPN - YouTube

Smith then explained that it's "self-inflicted" and that he's not surrounding himself with the right circle of people.

Jalen Rose then jumped in to give his thoughts on the situation saying he's being irresponsible and has "so much to gain yet so very much to lose."

Another ESPN commentator, Michael Wilbon, also shared his thoughts over the weekend about Morant's recent trouble. Clutch Points shared a clip on Twitter.

Article continues below advertisement
Michael Wilbon ESPN
Clutch Points - Twitter

"There are people who could be around him who are gonna have to help lead him out of this. We hear about four or five days or eight days, whatever, in some facility in Florida, that's a joke. That's PR. So you can try to PR your way out of this through other social media forms and all of that. The question is, is he going to do the work that is required of himself to get out of this and for this not to be the end," Wilbon said.

"What's gonna happen now? Nike gonna pull that shoe? Is Powerade gonna pull that drink? I know in my house, I told Matthew you can't have the shoe. I'm not buying THAT shoe. You're not buying THAT shoe. Our money, as a family, is not going toward that."

Article continues below advertisement

He then explained that he's "fascinated" by Morant and that he has high intelligence. "This whole fake gangster theme that I thought we were passed as a culture some years ago, I guess he's not passed it, he and his, and it's just sad," he said. "It's sad."

Will Nike Pause Ja Morant's Signature Shoe Over This Incident?

Ja Morant
Ja Morant - Instagram

At this time, the question remains if Nike will respond to Morant's recent issues. Last time around, they did not do anything, but released a statement that they support Morant.

"We appreciate Ja's accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being," Nike's statement read, according to Shams Charania.

This time around, sports business analyst Darren Rovell said he expects Nike to "pause" their relationship with Morant, as early as Monday morning.

Morant became the 23rd player in NBA history to receive his own signature shoe with Nike. The shoe was unveiled in December and the first colorway was released earlier this year. According to SneakerFiles, more colorways are set to be released later this year.

But now with this newest incident, shoe fans will have to wait and see how Nike will proceed as far as the Ja 1's are concerned.

Article continues below advertisement