Ja Morant camp claims 'toy gun' as he faces 30-game NBA ban
Weeks after Ja Morant’s latest gun incident, in which he appeared to flash a firearm on Instagram Live for the second time, people around the NBA star now are reportedly claiming the weapon in question was fake.
During a Tuesday episode of “The Breakfast Club,” host Claudia Jordan said she is in contact with Morant’s camp, which is claiming the gun the 23-year-old Grizzlies superstar was waving in a May 14 Instagram Live video was a toy.
Jordan also said the league is planning to issue Morant a lengthy suspension anyway.
“[NBA commissioner] Adam Silver is still going to go through with the suspension,” Jordan said, “looking like it should be 30 games even though the [NBA] knows it was a toy gun.”
This comes after Silver recently said he had “uncovered” more information around the incident.
Ja Morant appears to flash a gun in an Instagram Live video in May 2023. Twitter/@JamesBurnes8
Morant has found himself in trouble on a number of occasions over the past 12 months.
In March, he made headlines for waving a gun during a stream on his own Instagram account while at a Denver-area strip club following a loss to the eventual Western Conference champion Nuggets.
The NBA eventually suspended him for eight games before he returned and finished out the season without incident. The Grizzlies’ season ended with a five-game loss to the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Then, the second incident with a gun – or, as is now being claimed, a fake gun – occurred on a friend’s live stream.
Ja Morant Getty Images
The star point guard was at the center of a number of other incidents off the court over the past year.
He was accused of punching a teenager and brandishing a gun around during a pickup basketball game in the 2022 offseason.
Morant and his entourage also were accused of threatening a mall security guard in Memphis.
Morant, an All-Star in 2022, agreed to a five-year contract extension before the 2022-23 season worth around $194 million.
He could lose a good chunk of his 2023-24 salary if the NBA decides to suspend him without pay.
Source: New York Post
