Why is NBA investigating Ja Morant? Closer look at potential disciplinary breach by Grizzlies superstar
On the heels of a showdown between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Ja Morant is being investigated by the NBA.
ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania and reporter Tim MacMahon broke the news on Wednesday, indicating that the investigation stems from the two-time All-Star using finger guns during an exchange with the Warriors bench.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Charania wrote:
"The NBA is looking into Memphis' Ja Morant using finger gun motions toward the Golden State Warriors bench last night, sources tell me and @espn_macmahon."
Given Morant's history of disciplinary actions with the NBA, if the league does in fact determine through their investigation that he deserves to be suspended, they could hit the Memphis star with a harsher penalty than if this was his first offense.
Additionally, Charania reported in a follow-up that the league would be looking into the actions of Buddy Hield as well, who appeared to be the Warriors player Morant was engaging with at the time of the incident.
"The league's probe will also look into a gesture by Warriors guard Buddy Hield ahead of Morant, sources said. League officials will talk to involved parties as soon as Wednesday."
As some fans alleged on social media, Hield may have made the gesture first off-camera, with Ja Morant then reciprocating the action.
During the broadcast, however, the broadcasting team seemed to indicate that it was Morant who acted first, as seen in the video below:
Looking at Ja Morant's past suspensions with the NBA for firearm-related incidents
In recent years, Ja Morant's career has largely been defined by his off-court antics with firearms, which have resulted in two suspensions from the NBA.
Back in March of 2023, Ja Morant went viral online when he brandished a firearm at a club following a road game in Denver. At the time, Morant took a brief leave of absence from the team, while issuing an apology for his actions.
At the time, the NBA got involved, with commissioner Adam Silver meeting with Morant about the situation before the league decided to hit him with an eight game suspension.
Despite that, just months later, Ja Morant was seen brandishing a gun on Instagram Live. This time, the Grizzlies suspended him from all team activities for the early portion of the offseason, with the NBA then handing down a 25-game suspension for the 2023-24 season.
At the time, Silver released a statement, in which he was quoted as saying:
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games. The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning.
"Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
Given how firm of a stance the league has taken against Morant in the past, there's a very realistic possibility that the Grizzlies wind up heading into the postseason without their standout guard depending on how long of a suspension he's handed.