Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has no timeline for Ja Morant’s return after gun video, suspension
Ja Morant was seen flashing a gun on Instagram Live on Sunday morning.
Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t get into specifics regarding Ja Morant’s two-game suspension on Sunday.
Morant was seen on Instagram Live flashing a gun early on Sunday morning from an apparent club, which prompted an NBA investigation into the latest troubling incident involving the Grizzlies star. Memphis then suspended him for at least two games, starting with Sunday’s against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“[It was a] very tough moment for sure … We love him,” Jenkins said, via the NBA’s Mark Medina. “We want what’s best for him. We support him. It’s going to be a difficult process, but we’ve got a great group to get through this.”
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins on Ja Morant’s IG Live video and the lack of clarity on when he’ll return and what he needs to do to rejoin the team pic.twitter.com/tmIIgpY8zU
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 6, 2023
Morant was seen on Instagram shirtless and flashing a gun to the side of his head repeatedly just hours after the Grizzlies’ loss to the Denver Nuggets Friday in Colorado. He appeared to be recording from a strip club, but his exact location isn't known.
Morant then issued an apology through his agent later on Saturday morning, and said he is “going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.” The NBA is investigating, too.
The incident is one of several that Morant has been connected to this week. A report from the Washington Post alleged that Morant first assaulted a teenager in his neighborhood after a pickup basketball game and threatened him with a gun. That alleged assault came just days after Morant allegedly threatened the head of security at a Memphis mall — something that reportedly started after Morant’s mom was involved in a dispute with an employee at a Finish Line store there. Morant has largely denied those allegations.
Earlier this season, Morant’s friends allegedly threatened and trained a red laser from a slow-moving SUV on Indiana Pacers staff members in the parking lot of the FedExForum after a game. Morant “aggressively confronted” members of the Pacers staff, per the report, and was allegedly in that SUV when the laser was pointed. Pacers staff members believed the laser was attached to a gun, and “felt we were in grave danger.”
Jenkins said Sunday that he had no definitive timeline as to when Morant will rejoin the Grizzlies, and that they were just taking it day by day.
“The focus right now is Ja’s taking responsibility to really get the help he needs to get to a better place, generally speaking, but also on the flip side to be in a better place to embrace the responsibility and expectations as a member of this team,” Jenkins said. "That’s what we’re dialoguing about. That’s what we're going to support him through, but we’re also going to hold him accountable, too.”
