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The NBA has launched an investigation after Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant appeared to display a gun in a late-night social media video stream early Saturday morning.
In the hours following the Grizzlies’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Morant, 23, went live on Instagram. During the video stream that was clipped and shared on other social media platforms, Morant sings along to a rap song, dances with a friend and briefly appears to be pointing a gun at the camera. The Grizzlies play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“We are aware of and investigating a social media post involving Ja Morant,” an NBA spokesman said Saturday.
The Grizzlies announced later on Saturday that Morant “will not be on the team for at least the next two games”. After Sunday’s game against the Clippers, the Grizzlies also play the Lakers Tuesday night in LA.
Morant appeared on Saturday afternoon disable their accounts on both Instagram and Twitter.
Morant could face a fine or suspension for the video days after The Washington Post reported two Memphis police reports linking Morant to allegations of assault and threatening behavior. The Grizzlies and Morants’ agent Jim Tanner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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In an incident that took place at Morant’s home last summer, a teenager claimed Morant pointed a gun at him after a fight. In a confrontation after the game in January, members of the Indiana Pacers claimed Morant or one of his associates hit them with a laser beam. The NBA was investigating this incident at the time and could not determine that a gun was present.
Morant has not been charged in any of the incidents, and neither has Tanner issued a statement on Wednesday Denial of Morant’s use of weapons in the incidents.
“Every single allegation involving a firearm has been fully investigated and could not be confirmed,” Tanner said. “This includes the NBA investigation last month where they found no evidence.”
Tanner said last summer’s incident with the teenager “was purely in self-defense. After this was fully investigated by law enforcement, they again came to the decision not to charge Ja with a crime. Any of the dozens of witnesses will confirm that Ja acted in self-defense and that he did not have a gun.”
The teenager, who is also involved in a lawsuit against Morant, told police Morant repeatedly hit him on the head and knocked him to the ground. Morant countered that the boy deliberately threw a ball at his head and then approached him and pulled up his trousers, which he took as a signal that the teenager wanted to fight.
After the altercation, the boy claimed he was escorted off the property when Morant returned from his home with a gun in his waistband.
In transcripts of police interviews last summer, Morant confirmed that he owned a pistol. Police later mentioned the teenager’s claim that he drew a gun after their fight, but didn’t directly ask Morant if that happened. Neither Morant nor his attorney later denied the incident, the transcript shows. Morant’s attorneys produced a series of affidavits from witnesses present at the brawl that make no mention of the presence of a weapon.
Morant, the second overall pick in the 2019 draft and a two-time All-Star, has led the Grizzlies to a 38-24 record, good for the Western Conference No. 2 pick. The Murray State product completed a five-year, $193 million extension with the Grizzlies last summer, and he has signed significant endorsement deals with Nike and Powerade.
Firearm incidents have become rare in the modern NBA, particularly after Gilbert Arenas, the former Washington Wizards guard, was suspended for 50 games in the 2009-10 season for bringing four handguns into the team’s locker room. Javaris Crittenton, Arenas teammate at the time, also served a long suspension for his role in the Arenas incident, which involved brandishing his own gun and then firing a live round in it. Stephen Jackson was banned for seven games in 2007 after pleading guilty in response to an incident in which he fired a gun outside a strip club in 2006.
Shortly after the Post’s report went live last week, Morant appeared to be celebrating a teammate’s shot in Wednesday’s win over the Houston Rockets with his hands to simulate shooting a gun. Last May, Morant replied to a user on Twitter that it was “free to see how Hollows feels,” an apparent gun-related threat. Morant later deleted the message.
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