Ja Morant took accountability for brandishing a gun on Instagram live for the second time in nearly two months.
The Memphis Grizzlies suspended Morant from all team activities as the NBA investigates the incident, and Tuesday, he broke his silence after commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN he was “shocked” by the star’s actions.
“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said in the statement, per ESPN. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
Back in March, Morant was seen with a handgun in an Instagram live while he was at a nightclub in Colorado. He received an eight-game suspension and went to a treatment facility in Florida for his mental health. Morant returned to the Grizzlies on March 22 and helped Memphis reach the playoffs before it was eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Silver told ESPN that he and Morant talked “directly about the consequences” of brandishing a firearm on social media, and felt he took the conversation seriously.
“… We spoke for a long time about not just the consequences that could have on his career, but the safety issues around it — (Morant) could’ve injured, maimed, killed himself, someone else with an act like that — and also the acknowledgment that he’s a star,” Silver told ESPN. “He has an incredibly huge following, and (we discussed) my concern — and I thought he shared with me — that millions, if not tens of millions, of kids globally would have seen him do something that was celebrating in a way that act of using a firearm in that fashion.”
Morant signed a five-year extension with the Grizzlies last summer. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the team.
