The NBA announced that Ja Morant will miss out on a significant number of games during the 2023-24 season. After failing to adhere to the rules for the second time, the star will be suspended for 25 games for waving a firearm on social media. This puts the All-Star in a very tough situation with the Memphis Grizzlies. He will miss out on All-NBA honors and a potential supermax contract as well.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver initially claimed that he was surprised that the 2x All-Star fell for the same issue again. On announcing his suspension, Silver also said, “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning.” The Commissioner revealed that Morant will be put through a program that will help narrow down what caused the incident.
Ja Morant statement: pic.twitter.com/KJCxTVEIRj
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2023
The Grizzlies had suspended Morant from team-related activities almost immediately after the incident took place. Ja Morant is a rising star in the NBA which makes it even harder to witness him go through such trials. He apologized to the NBA, his team, and his entire fan base promising that he will work on himself. However, the biggest question revolves around his relationship with Nike.
Nike is planning to continue their partnership with Ja Morant
Ja Morant has a multi-year endorsement with Nike that is worth millions at this point. The point guard has been on the rise and could soon be included in MVP talks. People are starting to wonder whether Nike is willing to stick around as well. The answer is, yes. NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne recently revealed that Nike will continue to support the superstar.
Nike will not cut ties with Ja Morant
“We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court.”
(h/t @ramonashelburne ) pic.twitter.com/yHQ2Wj2dpk
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 16, 2023
She quoted, “We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court.” This is great news for Morant as he was very recently offered his first signature pair as well. The Ja Morant 1s were introduced just before the Christmas Day Games and were commercialized earlier this year.
On May 25, 2023, Nike was preparing to launch Ja Morant 1 “Hunger” to the public. However, the launch was paused as a result of the incident and Nike also removed the shoe from the lists online.
But it seems like the company is willing to take a chance on Ja Morant no matter how bad his recent gun controversy was. Unfortunately, Morant will have to put in a lot of effort to help the NBA regain trust in him. On the bright side, his peers seem confident that he will correct himself and focus on his career henceforth.
