As Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant comes to the end of his 25-game suspension, NBA Commissioner Nate Silver has announced his intention to meet with the player to discuss his return to the league.
Morant was suspended in June after a second incident involving him being seen brandishing a gun in social media posts online.
Morant was seen in an Instagram Live post in which he was seen displaying a gun at a Colorado strip club. Police declined to charge him with anything at the time. He was suspended for eight games at the time.
But he was then seen only two months later in another video flashing a gun while sitting as the passenger of a car. That video earned him a 25-game suspension.
After all this and with the 25-game suspension coming to an end, Silver says he has been “monitoring” Morant’s situation.
“I have been monitoring the situation closely, and him,” Silver said Saturday, according to Fox News. “In fact, we intend to have a check-in this week directly, Ja and I. But folks in the league office, together with Ja and his team and the players association, have been in regular contact essentially weekly. They’re having those checkpoints. We, together, laid out a program for him over the last several weeks, and to the best of my knowledge, he’s complied with everything he’s been asked to do.”
Silver continued, saying, “As I said, we’re gonna talk directly once, at least this week, before he comes back. I think we’ll review the program and just make sure the conditions are in place for him to be successful going forward.”
Morant had been required to undergo a program to impress upon him how ill-advised it is to be seen playing with guns in social media videos.
If Silver clears him, Morant could play on Dec. 18 when the Grizzlies face the Oklahoma City Thunder. His presence has been sorely missed as the Grizzlies started the year with a six-game losing streak and sit at a 6-15 record to date.
Morant is a two-time All-Star and the winner of the 2019-2020 Rookie of the Year, Fox added.
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