After a semi-extended absence due to a series of disturbing circumstances that culminated in him flashing a gun on an Instagram live inside a Denver strip club, Ja Morant will soon be returning to action for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Early Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Morant had left the counseling center he had entered last week and had met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver today in New York in what was described as a “final step” toward a return to play.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania then reported that the NBA has suspended Morant for 8 games. The punishment is apparently retroactive, meaning that the 5 games he has already missed count toward the suspension. He will be eligible to return to basketball activities with the Memphis Grizzlies on March 20th, as the Grizzlies play the Dallas Mavericks that day.
The NBA ultimately could not find conclusive evidence “that the gun belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period… also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility.”
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