With all the buzz and attention swarming him from the controversies he made, Ja Morant has taken a needed leave of absence from basketball activities in hopes to redeem himself. As such, the Memphis Grizzlies are eager to see progress from their cornerstone as he started to embark the road towards maturity and professionalism.
On the latest note provided by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday, Morant is reportedly serving a “de facto suspension” now with the Grizzlies wherein there could be a possibility that he will miss more than two games.
Added by Wojnarowski, the franchise was encouraged from the accountability that he took on the unethical action he made recently, as many were starting to be concerned about the All-star guard’s pattern of behavior.
More than anything else, Woj points out that Memphis is hoping that Morant’s inactivity would serve as a “turning point” for him to develop and make necessary changes from the controversial acts he committed.
Morant found himself stepping again in hot water after several records of his Instagram live went circulating in social media, wherein the All-Star was seen flashing up a gun with his left hand while partying at a nightclub early Saturday morning.
This action prompted the NBA to launch an investigation, while the Grizzlies went on to suspend him for at least two games – as he is set to miss the club’s Sunday match against the LA Clippers and until Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Upon deactivating his online account platforms, Morant went on to issue a personal statement, apologizing for the incident as he is walking away temporarily to work on his overall well-being.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down,” the statement read. “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Morant was already involved in past issues prior to this firearm incident. Last Wednesday, the Washington Post published a story regarding the star’s two incidents this summer, wherein the second one detailed that a 17-year-old boy alleged Morant for emerging from his house with a gun in his waistband and his hand on the weapon following a heated backyard basketball game. Last Jan. 29 following a home win against the Pacers, Morant and his acquaintances drew flak as several Indiana traveling party members alleged them for threatening and pointing a red laser coming from the guard’s sports utility vehicle.
Morant came out being a notorious figure around the association these past few days. Showered by public outcry, the Grizzlies camp can only hope that he’ll be able to change for the better as he contemplates in his indefinite inactivity.
