Has Ja Morant Been Suspended by the NBA? Star Shares Cryptic Post
Ja Morant is one of the rising stars of the NBA, but the basketballer has been the subject of speculation after a video claimed he had been suspended indefinitely from the league.
The 23-year-old is in his fourth season with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, recent claims emerged that he had been suspended, following a report from The Washington Post on March 1.
According to police reports obtained by the publication, Morant was accused of punching a teenager and threatening a mall security guard. These were separate incidents that took place in July 2022, it was reported.
The Allegations Made Against Ja Morant
It was claimed that Morant had an altercation with a guard at the Wolfchase Galleria mall in northeast Memphis in July 2022. According to the report, the basketball player's mother had a dispute with a store employee and asked Morant to help.
Morant was said to have arrived at the mall with nine people, and the group allegedly had a verbal altercation with a security guard when they refused to leave. During the incident, it was claimed that one of Morant's associates pushed the security director in the head. The guard filed a report with police because he felt threatened.
A second police report alleged that, four days later, Morant punched a teenager several times. The teen had thrown a ball during a game of pickup basketball, and it caught Morant on the chin. According to the report, the star repeatedly hit the teen and left him with a "large knot" on the side of his head.
It was claimed that Morant then went into his home and returned with what appeared to be a firearm tucked into his pants. The basketballer later told police that he acted in self-defense when striking the teenager, according to the report.
Morant's agent Jim Tanner gave a statement, shared with U.K. newspaper The Independent. He said that the incidents were "unsubstantiated rumors and gossip [that] are being put out by people motivated to tear Ja down and tarnish his reputation for their own financial gain."
According to The Washington Post, Shelby County District Attorney's office declined to press charges against Morant because of a lack of evidence.
After the report was published, Morant shared cryptic posts on his Instagram stories. One was an image of the song "No Weapon" by Fred Hammond; the second was of Beyoncé's "BREAK MY SOUL." It was unclear if this was a reference to The Washington Post report.
Newsweek has contacted Morant's representatives for further comment.
Has Ja Morant Been Suspended by the NBA?
Following The Washington Post's report, rumors began circulating on social media that Morant had been suspended from the NBA.
This stemmed from a hoax video by Twitter parody account Buttcrack Sports. It shared a clip of NBA commissioner Adam Silver that had been dubbed over. It appeared that Silver said he had "decided to suspend Ja Morant from the NBA indefinitely."
These claims are false, and Morant has not been suspended by the professional basketball league.
He played in the Memphis Grizzlies match against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, February 28, where Morant's team triumphed 121 to 109. The point guard scored 39 points during the game at FedExForum in Memphis.
Morant also took part in the Memphis Grizzlies away match against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, March 1 at Toyota Center. His team also won that, 113 to 99.
