The NBA and league Commissioner Adam Silver may want fans to focus on the Finals series between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, but it appears the controversy surrounding Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is too big for the basketball world to put on the back burner. Back in March, an IG Live video featuring him brandishing a gun derailed his career and his teamâs playoff hopes when it led to him leaving the Grizzlies for multiple games. At the time, the team and the league were criticized for treating the situation lightly because heâs one of the NBAâs future stars.
Things got even worse in May, when Morant was once again seen with a gun on IG Live. This time around, there was increased pressure on Silver and Memphis to punish Morant appropriately, regardless of his star status. As the playoffs have progressed, the commissioner has stayed focused on the game, but on Thursday, during his annual Finals press conference, Silver discussed details on the leagueâs decision on the point guardâs current status. He explained âthe individual playerâs historyâ and the two-time All-Starâs âhistory of prior actsâ are considerations in any disciplinary actions. Silver went on to reveal that a decision on Morantâs punishment will be announced after the NBA Finals.
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âWeâve uncovered a fair amount of additional information,â Silver said. âWe probably could have brought it to a head now, but weâve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.â
Following the May incident, Ja was suspended indefinitely by the Grizzlies. Of course, itâs the offseason so that doesnât mean much at the moment. Right now, Memphis is more concerned with scouting and preparing for the 2023 NBA Draft. For his part, Morant needs to take this time to work on himself and the issues that are leading him to make these self-destructive, public mistakes.
âGiven that weâre of course in the offseason, he has now been suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies indefinitely, so nothing would have changed anyway in the next few weeks,â Silver added. âIt seemed better to park that at the moment, at least any public announcement, and my sense now is that shortly after the conclusion of the Finals we will announce the outcome of that investigation.â
Honestly, I donât have a problem with the NBA waiting until after the Finals to make the decision public. Denver and Miami worked very hard to get to this moment and they deserve to have the spotlight to themselves. If we all have to wait a few weeks to hear about Ja Morantâs punishment, itâs not going to change anything. And frankly, staying out of the spotlight and the headlines is probably the best thing for the embattled young star.
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