Ja Morant was recently rewarded with the consequences of his second gun controversy. Earlier in May, the 2x NBA All-Star was caught waving a firearm on social media. He received a lot of backlash for what he had done and the league’s Commissioner Adam Silver was disheartened that the point guard let history repeat itself. Silver claimed that he felt blindsided by everything that unfolded.
ESPN Sources: The NBA has suspended Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant 25 games to start the 2023-2024 season. pic.twitter.com/EGKRU7WqwO
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2023
After promising fans that Morant’s punishment will be announced following the NBA Finals, Silver clapped back with some serious consequences. The Memphis Grizzlies point guard was slammed with a 25-game suspension followed by counseling as well. The Commissioner felt that Morant’s actions can easily be emulated by his fans.
Ja Morant will not be eligible for any postseason award nor will he be given All-NBA honors. This suspension will have a significant effect on Morant’s career as well.
Tamika Tremaglio slams the league for going overboard with Ja Morant’s punishments
After Adam Silver had announced the punishments Ja Morant will be facing as a result of his actions, the NBPA Executive Director came to the player’s defense. She feels that the Memphis Grizzlies star shouldn’t have to go through all this.
Her statement read, “Ja has expressed his remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions, and we support him unequivocally as he does whatever is necessary to represent himself, our players, and our league in the best possible light.”
The National Basketball Players Association is unhappy with the length of Ja Morant’s suspension and the arbitrary nature of the conditions for his return. “We believe it’s excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons…” NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio says. pic.twitter.com/HVhFYSELne
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2023
She continued, “As to the discipline imposed, which keeps him off the court until December and requires some unstated conditions to be met before he can return, we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league. We will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”
Tamika’s opinion may be a little controversial especially since most people believe the punishment is appropriate enough. Being suspended for 25 games will require Ja Morant to bear a significant amount of loss even in his salary. The player has since apologized to everyone including the NBA and his peers.