Ja Morant Returns To The Court TONIGHT After 25-Game Suspension!

Christmas is coming a little early for one particular NBA team. After a tough start to the season, the Memphis Grizzlies are about to get their star player back on the court with them.

Ja Morant is finally eligible to once again play with the team after his 25-game suspension and tonight is the night!

It's been a long journey for the Grizzlies star who has spent much of 2023 suspended for two incidents in which he brandished a firearm during a livestream. His team has struggled without him and currently has one of the worst records in the league. The question on everyone's mind is can he help turn this around?

Fans don't have to wait much longer to find out as Morant is eligible to play tonight's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and fans know he's eager and ready to step foot on that court. He's been posting about it periodically with a countdown in his Instagram Stories.

During Morant's 25-game suspension, he was pretty quiet. He barely posted on social media until recently, and didn't do any interview until last Friday. During his press conference, he gave an inside look at how he's handled his suspension and what he's taking away from it all.

During Friday's presser, Morant talked about how his suspension went and what he learned from it.

"It's been a process. Obviously thankful for, you know, the support I had during this time. Obviously, it's not easy, you know, not being out there on the floor and having to watch, but you know with everything else, being around the team, being able to practice, being able to travel, the guys just constantly talking to me and vice versa, it's been good," he told reporters during his first public presser since his suspension began.

"I've pretty much just been focusing on me, honestly, outside of the basketball stuff. But basketball-wise, just becoming more of a leader with my talk."

Morant said that while he was on suspension, he worked on "protecting his peace" and explained that the journey had some "horrible days."

"It was definitely tough, some horrible days. It was tough, but like I said to start this, with the support that I had throughout this process, it definitely helped me a lot. It's pretty much all I could lean on at that time," he said.

"Obviously, basketball is something I've been doing pretty much my whole life. Something that's therapeutic for me. Obviously taking that away, it makes it tougher. But, like I said, I had the right people around me, from my family to the organization and to my other partners that helped me along in the process."

Morant also revealed that while he admits he made a lot of mistakes, he doesn't have any regrets.

"It's been tough. A lot of learning, a lot of teaching. It's been a process, obviously, I wouldn't say I regret it, but I'm not happy that it happened," he said.

"But I'm also grateful that I had this opportunity to reflect and do things that I felt like was not only needed for me but for my family as well for us to realize pretty much you know all that's at stake, ways we can keep each other happy and how we just have each other's back."

The Grizzlies star hasn't been able to play a game with his team since last season when he was suspended for 25 games going into the 2023-2024 NBA season after flashing a firearm during an Instagram Live.

This was Morant's second suspension this year for the same reason. The first time happened just months prior when he went on Instagram Live waving a gun while in a Denver strip club. He was suspended for 8 games and attended a counseling facility in Florida before he returned to the court.

And even though he's been on suspension, he had some special circumstances that allowed him to practice and travel with his team.

On NBA Media Day, head coach Taylor Jenkins explained that Morant was able to be around the team full-time.

"From our understanding right now, outside of not being able to play in preseason games and the first 25 regular season games, he's gonna be around us full-time. He's part of our group," Jenkins said.

"Obviously, it’s a unique circumstance, we’re going to have to navigate. I think everyone understands it, and it’s gonna be better prepared to go into the season knowing that he’s gonna be training his tail off, still fully integrated with the team and our group’s going to be handling their business as we’ve always done."

And now that the day has arrived, NBA fans are excited to welcome Morant back to the court. Many have been vocal on various social media posts explaining that they are ready for the Grizzlies star to get back to the game, as well as predicting how his return will go.

Ja Morant returns to the court TONIGHT when the Grizzlies go up against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. ET.