NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that the league will wait until the Finals are over to announce the results of its latest investigation into the conduct of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, as well as any possible discipline of him.
On May 13, Morant appeared to brandish a firearm in public for the second time in just two months, prompting an investigation. Silver declined to say if Morant would be available to play with the Grizzlies early next season.
“I would say we could have probably peaked now,” Silver said at a press conference in Denver before Game 1 of the championship series between the Nuggets and Miami Heat. “But we have made the decision, and I think the Players’ Association agrees with us, that it would be unfair to these players and these mid-series teams to announce the results of this investigation.”
Morant is a two-time All-Star and is already one of the league’s hottest players at 23 years old. In March, the NBA suspended him for eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league after he appeared on an Instagram Live video “driving a firearm while drunk” while visiting a nightclub near Denver, according to a statement from the league. Shortly after the video was broadcast, Morant left the team and signed up for a counseling facility in Florida. After returning to the Grizzlies, Morant told reporters that he spent his time at the facility learning how to better handle stress and improve himself.
But last month, a new video surfaced on Instagram Live showing Morant flashing a gun, this time while riding in a car. The Grizzlies, already eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, quickly suspended Morant from all team activity pending the league’s video review.
On Thursday, Silver said the league had “disclosed a fair amount of additional information,” but did not elaborate.
Silver was also asked if he thought the league’s initial eight-game suspension sent a strong enough message to Morant. At the time, Silver said, Morant appeared “honest and serious” in his conversations with league officials.
“But I think he understood that it wasn’t about his words, and it was going to be about his future behavior,” Silver said. “So, I guess, in hindsight, I don’t know. If it was a 12-game suspension instead of eight, would that have mattered?”
He added: “It seemed appropriate at the time. Maybe, by definition, to the point – we’ve all seen the video. It 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 would take to change his behavior.” “.
The NBA has penalized players for similar types of actions. During the 2009-10 season, for example, Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards was suspended 50 games for bringing weapons into the team’s locker room, which violated league policy. Arenas, who was a three-time All-Star at the time, also appeared to make light of the situation with finger gestures at a game while the league was still investigating his behavior.
Silver described Morant as a “good guy” who clearly made some mistakes.
“But he’s young,” Silver said, “and I hope now that once we get to the end of our process, what discipline is appropriate, that it’s not just about discipline, it’s about what we, the players association and his team and him and the people around him to create better conditions going forward. I think that’s It is most important here in the end.”
Suban Deep Contributed reporting from Denver.