Ja Morant mall incident: What exactly happened between him and mall security?
Ja Morant has been caught up in multiple off-court controversies over the last few weeks. The Memphis Grizzlies superstar was accused of threatening the head of security at a mall in Memphis. The incident transpired after Morant's mother argued with a Finish Line store employee.
She called Morant on the scene, who arrived with nine other people. Security guards asked Morant and his entourage to leave the mall's parking lot after they argued with the security director.
A verbal altercation in front of the local police occurred, who, as per the Washington Post, registered a report about Morant threatening the security guard, saying:
"As the group was leaving the premises… Ja Morant said, ‘Let me find out what time he gets off'.'"
The report also states that a member of Morant's group allegedly shoved the security director in the head. The guard wanted to file a complaint as he felt threatened by Morant and his crew. However, no arrests were made. The NBA, Memphis Grizzlies and the security guard declined to comment on the incident.
NBA suspends Ja Morant for eight games
The NBA has suspended Ja Morant for flashing a gun at a party while going live on Instagram. Morant's recent six-game absence will be par of his eight-game suspension.
He will be eligible to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, March 20. Morant will have to give up $668,659 in salary. The reigning Most Improved Player of the Year has been out since March 3. After videos of him flashing a gun went viral, Morant was initially issued a two-game suspension.
He apologized for his actions to the NBA, the Grizzlies and his family and cited that he needs to seek better ways to deal with stress. In his most recent interview with ESPN, Morant revealed that he didn't own the gun he flashed in the video. Here's what he said:
"The gun wasn’t mine. It’s not who I am, I don’t condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I made a bad mistake and I can see now the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes.
"In the future, Imma show everybody who Ja really is and what I’m about and change this narrative."
Ja Morant has been under immense scrutiny as multiple reports of violent acts have emerged over the last month centered around him and his crew. The Grizzlies star said in the interview that he sought help to deal with his issues via therapy and reikie treatment.
Click here to read the Washington Post's report on Ja Morant's mall incident.