Ja Morant's 8-game suspension is harsh but fair discipline by Adam Silver and the NBA
Following a formal investigation of his off-court controversies, the NBA issued an eight-game suspension for Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
After meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the Grizzlies guard was subsequently suspended without pay for conduct considered detrimental to the league.
Morant is currently in the midst of a leave of absence from his team and entered a counseling program to address recent concerns surrounding the All-Star. The suspension includes the games Morant has already missed following an incident in which he possessed a firearm at a nightclub earlier this month.
The league office was not able to conclude that the firearm belonged to Morant or that he transported it with him on a team plane. Additionally, he will not be charged with a crime by Colorado authorities.
The NBA did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Ja Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period. The investigation also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 15, 2023
This is a longer suspension than what former NBA player Stephen Jackson received for actually firing a gun during an altercation in 2007.
Although he is eligible to play on March 20, the guard was not playing basketball while at his counseling program in Florida. It may take a bit longer for him to actually return to the starting lineup.
Morant hadn't been playing basketball while at a counseling center in Florida, so his ramp up is expected to extend past Monday's game vs. Dallas when he's first eligible to return, sources tell ESPN. It's expected that he'll return to play shortly thereafter.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2023
While the eight-game suspension is nowhere near the 50-game suspension some initially expected, such harsh disciplinary action was never realistic.
That being said, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, this is the second-longest league-issued non-drug suspension since 2021. This suspension will cost Morant nearly $700,000 in missed paychecks.
Morant’s suspension would have presumably been for a lot longer if the league concluded that he transported a gun on the team plane. Instead, he can rejoin his team as they gear up for the final stretch of the season and the playoffs.
The Grizzlies currently have the second-best record in the Western Conference, holding a one-game advantage over the Kings and a five-game lead over the Suns.