Ja Morant Eligible To Return To The Court After Suspension In December

Now that the 2023-24 NBA schedule has been released, fans have a better idea of when they can see Ja Morant in action on the court again after his 25-game suspension.

Morant was suspended for 25 games starting in the new season. The Memphis Grizzlies' 26th game of the season falls on December 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans, which makes that the first game he will be eligible to play, as pointed out by Memphis Commercial Appeal's Demichael Cole.

The NBA star's first game back will be nationally televised on TNT and could have him going up against Zion Williamson. Morant and Williamson, both 2019 draft-class rivals, have dealt with their share of issues this offseason. Williamson has been dealing with a public relations crisis due to his health status, weight and injuries, plus additional issues with his alleged relationship with adult film star Moriah Mills.

Morant, who was suspended for 8 games last season for flashing a firearm in a nightclub on Instagram Live, was suspended for 25 games in May after once again brandishing a gun during an Instagram Live. After his first suspension, he spent two weeks in a Florida counseling facility to learn how to better manage stress.

Morant quickly took accountability for his actions after the second IG Live incident where he was seen flashing a gun while in a car with friends.

"I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do," Morant’s statement reads. "My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my action. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself."

His statement continued to explain how he's learning to "cope with stress in a positive way," and promises to "be more responsible" in the future.

"I went (to Florida) to counseling to learn how to manage stress," he said. "Cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I ‘ve tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes."

He apologized for all he’s done and the choices he's made and promised to “be more responsible” moving forward.

After seeing the second video of Morant flashing a gun, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke publicly about the situation talking about the conversation the two had after the first incident.

"Well, we talked directly about the consequences first before we got to a subsequent potential to have done something wrong. We were very focused on the misconduct that was in front of us at the time and frankly, most of our conversation was about how incredibly serious the first incident was of waving a firearm on social media," he said.

"And again, the consequences there, an eight-game suspension was pretty serious and something that he at least to me seemed to take incredibly seriously in that time."

Silver continued to explain that the conversation he had with Morant after the first incident didn't only focus on his actions and safety concerns, but also how it affects the younger generation who look up to him.

"My concern, and I thought he shared with me, that millions, if not tens of millions of kids globally would see him as having done something that was celebrating in a way. That act of sort of using a firearm in that fashion," Silver said. "I at least was left with the sense that he was taking this incredibly seriously."