Source: Justin Ford / Getty
NBA star Ja Morant has been suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season. ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported the breaking news.
Morant had to wait until the end of the NBA Finals to learn his fate. NBA commissioner Adam Silver proclaimed that he didn’t want to take away from either team competing for a title, which is why the Morant decision took weeks to deliver. The Denver Nuggets dispatched the Miami Heat in 5 games, giving Denver its first NBA title in franchise history.
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Morant is coming off a troubled year. His most recent suspension is the result of the second time the young star was on Instagram Live brandishing a gun over the last several months. After the first incident, his suspension was basically ‘time served’. The Grizzlies were already keeping him away from team activities while Morant worked on treating his mental health.
There were several stories involving Morant and guns last season, though none of them have netted him any legal trouble.
Not everyone feels as if the NBA is doing the right thing. Many point to the fact that Ja hasn’t broken any laws. However, in the spirit of professional athletes being role models, others condemn the young baller for not thinking about how his actions affect young people that look up to him.
Regardless of personal feelings, the NBA has made its decision. In a league that’s regular season consists of 82 games, a 25-game suspension is roughly 30% of the season. For a team that finished number 2 a year ago, losing your star player for that long could have a major impact.
Check out the Woj announcement below, and keep scrolling to see what NBA Twitter has to say about the Morant suspension.
