Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is on the verge of completing his 25-game suspension, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that he’ll be having a conversation with the two-time All-Star today.
Morant was suspended in June following an investigation into a second incident where he seemed to display a weapon on social media.
Commissioner Adam Silver talking to the press ahead of the NBA In-Season Tournament Finals game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I have been monitoring the situation closely, and him,” Silver told reporters on Saturday. “In fact, we plan to have a check-in today directly, Ja and I. Folks in the league office, along with Ja and his team and the players association, have been in regular contact almost 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 understanding, he’s complied with everything he’s been asked to do.
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“As I said, we’re gonna talk directly when at least this week before he returns. I think we’ll review the program and just ensure the conditions are in place for him to be successful moving forward.”
When announcing Morant’s suspension, Silver said Morant would be “required to create and meet a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this damaging behavior” before he could return to play.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is presented before the Lakers game during the NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2023, at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The 25-game mark for the Grizzlies is a Dec. 18 match against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Morant would be eligible to return on Dec. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Morant was first suspended for 8 games in March after he went on Instagram Live and displayed a gun “while in a drunken state at a Denver location club,” according to the NBA. Less than 2 months later, he was again seen on a friend’s social media “intentionally and clearly displaying a weapon.”
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Ja Morant of the Grizzlies during a team practice on Oct. 3, 2023, at FedExForum in Memphis. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Grizzlies are off to a rough start without their star, sitting at 6-15 after starting the year on a six-game losing streak.
Morant is a two-time All-Star and the winner of the 2019-2020 Rookie of the Year.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report
Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.
