Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant could be out for the foreseeable future. The Grizzlies announced Saturday that Morant would miss at least two games after the superstar seemingly showed off his gun on Instagram Live.
The latest reports suggest that Morant might miss well north of two games. The Grizzlies have essentially given Morant an indefinite suspension amid the controversial gun video and multiple off-court allegations.
Morant didn’t play Sunday when the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena, 135-129. The 23-year-old won’t suit up Tuesday when the Grizzlies face the Los Angeles Lakers.
How many games will Morant miss because of his suspension?
“We have said that it’s going to be at least these two games,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday. “I mean, this is going be an ongoing healing process. … It’s really not a timetable situation.”
The Grizzlies are expecting Morant to be away from the team for more than just two games, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The NBA is still investigating Morant’s Instagram Live incident, and the league could give Morant a suspension that starts after Tuesday’s game, Charania reports.
The Grizzlies have some key games on the upcoming part of their schedule. After visiting the Lakers, Memphis is scheduled to host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The Grizzlies have a home-and-home against the Dallas Mavericks Saturday and Monday, March 13. Morant could potentially miss all of those games.
The Grizzlies have road games against the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs after the Mavericks series.
With 19 games remaining on their schedule, the Grizzlies are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Memphis is one game ahead of the No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings and three games ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors are the No. 5 seed and five games behind the Grizzlies. Dallas is seventh in the West and six games behind Memphis in the standings.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down,” Morant said in a statement. “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Three days before Morant was suspended by the Grizzlies, The Washington Post reported that Morant was accused of punching a 17-year-old after a dispute following a pickup basketball last summer. Morant allegedly showed the teenager a gun during the incident. The head of security at a mall accused Morant of threatening him in Memphis last summer, according to The Post.
Morant has denied the allegations.
Morant has been an All-Star in two straight seasons and has posted MVP-caliber statistics this season. He is averaging 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Getty Images/Christian Petersen
