Ja Morant Weapons Investigation Results Delayed During NBA Finals

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday the league would wait until the end of the Finals to release the findings of its latest investigation into the behavior of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, as well as any possible discipline from him.

On May 13, Morant appeared to brandish a firearm in public for the second time in just over two months, prompting the investigation. Silver declined to say whether Morant would be available to play for the Grizzlies at the start of next season.

“I would say we probably could have brought it to a head now,” Silver said at a press conference in Denver ahead of Game 1 of the championship series between the Nuggets and the Miami Heat. “But we have made the decision, and I think the players’ union agrees with us, that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of the series to release the results of that investigation.”

Morant is a two-time All-Star and, at 23, already one of the most exciting players in the league. In March, the NBA suspended him for eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league after he appeared in an Instagram Live video “with a firearm in a drunken state” while visiting a nightclub near Denver, according to a statement from the competition. Shortly after the video was streamed, Morant left the team and went to a counseling center in Florida. After returning to the Grizzlies, Morant told reporters that he spent his time at the facility learning how to better manage stress and improve himself.

But last month, a new Instagram Live video emerged of Morant flashing a gun, this time while riding in a vehicle. The Grizzlies, already eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers, quickly suspended Morant from all team activities pending the league’s review of the video.

On Thursday, Silver said the league had “discovered a fair amount of additional information,” but he didn’t elaborate.

Silver was also asked if he thought the initial eight match suspension from the league had sent a strong enough message to Morant. At the time, Silver said, Morant seemed “sincere and serious” in his conversations with league officials.

“But I think he understood it wasn’t about his words, it was about his future behavior,” Silver said. “So, I guess, in hindsight, I don’t know. If it had been a 12 game suspension instead of an eight game suspension, would that have mattered?”

He added: “It seemed appropriate at the time. Maybe, by definition, as far as we’ve all seen the video. Looks like he’s done it again. So I guess you could say, maybe not. But I don’t think we know yet what it takes to change his behavior.”

The NBA has penalized players for similar types of acts. For example, during the 2009-10 season, Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards was suspended 50 games for bringing guns into the team’s locker room, in violation of league policy. Arenas, who was a three-time All-Star at the time, also appeared to lighten the situation by making finger-gun gestures during a game while the league was still investigating his conduct.

Silver described Morant as “a fine young man” who “clearly made some mistakes”.

“But he’s young,” said Silver, “and I hope now that when we conclude at the end of our process what the right discipline is, it’s not just about the discipline, it’s about what we, the players’ association, his team , and he and the people around him are going to do to create better conditions in the future. I think that’s the most important thing here in the end.”

Sopan Deb contributed reporting from Denver.