NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed that he is worried about what Ja Morant will do in his free time if he is forced to serve a lengthy suspension for seemingly flashing a firearm on Instagram Live.
Dan Patrick asked Silver if there was any concern over what would happen in that instance on a recent episode of his show.
“Precisely — and I’m worried about that too,” Silver said. “And so again, putting aside the number of games that we may be looking at, I’d like to come up with a program and frankly working with him in which there is a joint sense – a mutual commitment – that we need to put together a program. Not something that’s a couple of sessions and I’m back. But something that where he will be able to use time away from the game.”
Silver also made sure to highlight that Morant, who is suspended from Memphis Grizzlies team activities right now, is away from the game and has that free time right now. The commissioner revealed that he wants to find a way for basketball to take a “back seat” to make sure Morant gets the help he needs.
The last few months have been troublesome for Morant, as he’s been reprimanded by the league on multiple occasions for flashing a gun on Instagram Live.
The first instance happened during the 2022-23 regular season, and he was suspended for his actions before eventually returning for the end of the season and playoffs.
Morant seemingly didn’t learn his lesson, as he appeared to commit the same act shortly after Memphis was knocked out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s a troubling situation for the young point guard, but Silver does seem to want to help Morant to make sure he can get past this. That would be in the best interest of the NBA and Morant, who is quickly becoming one of the game’s best players.
This season, Morant made his second All-Star team while averaging 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game. He won the league’s Most Improved Player award in the 2021-22 season and was also selected to an All-NBA team.
It seems likely that Morant will miss a solid chunk of the 2023-24 season, but Silver, the Grizzlies and their fans are certainly hoping the former No. 2 overall pick can put these instances behind him and return to basketball without any more off-court issues.
