Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been suspended for 25 games without pay by the NBA for "conduct detrimental to the league," the NBA announced Friday.
In May, Morant was suspended from team activities after an Instagram Live video appeared to show him flashing a gun while in a vehicle with others circulated on social media, just two months after he was suspended over a similar video.
The NBA had suspended Morant for eight games without pay in March after he was seen in another Instagram Live video holding a gun at a nightclub in Glendale, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
The league said Morant's unpaid suspension runs through the first 25 games of the upcoming 2023-24 regular season. He will not be allowed to take part in any "public" team activities, including preseason games, until the suspension is lifted.
"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," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
"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.
"For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior."
In a statement, the Memphis said they "respect the League's decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode."
"Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them," they added.
Earlier this month, Silver said what was important was not the amount of games Morant was suspended for but rather changing his life path.
"There is a an acceptance that we need to find ways to engage with each other going forward so that he can change the trajectory that he's now on, which is not a positive one," Silver told the Dan Patrick Show.
