How does Ja Morant keep finding himself in these situations? Just a few months after the Memphis Grizzlies star was suspending for showing off a gun on his IG Live, Morant finds himself in an eerily similar situation. The only difference this time is that it wasn't on Ja's IG account, and that it was barely visible on screen.
Considering that this would be the second gun-related livestream incident with Ja Morant, it's fair to w0nder what the punishment for Morant would be this time around. Let's try and figure out the most reasonable suspension time the Grizzlies can levy at Morant after getting into this sticky situation.
What is the baseline for a Ja Morant suspension?
To determine how long Ja Morant should be suspended, we have to take into account his previous suspension. The Grizzlies suspended Morant for eight games two months ago for a similar incident. That should be a good baseline for a potential suspension for the star, since this is a similar incident.
Anything lower than an eight-game suspension will get some bad PR from fans. This is Morant's second incident of this nature (and that's not taking into account his… history with guns outside of livestreams). The Grizzlies should drop a much larger hammer on Morant, considering that he seemingly didn't learn his lesson.
A twelve-game suspension feels like a reasonable punishment for Ja Morant. It's a much longer suspension that what the Grizzlies initially handed him, for one. It also sets a precedent for Morant that the team won't tolerate what he's doing. Of course, fans hoped that he would've known better after already being suspended this season.
Why should Morant even be suspended by Grizzlies?
Some people will inevitably argue that Ja Morant shouldn't be suspended. After all, it's not illegal to own firearms in the country. Die-hard Morant fans might feel like their idol is getting targeted for just being himself.
However, the suspension isn't really about the legality of owning a gun. I'm sure countless of NBA players own guns. What's not okay, though, is Ja Morant showing off a deadly weapon in front of a live audience. That is generally frowned upon, and might be illegal in some states. Ja's last IG gun incident actually got investigated by the police!
Legal complications aside, there's another big reason why the Grizzlies are incentivized to suspend Ja Morant. To quote the late Uncle Ben: “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Morant is an NBA star, a global sensation. Thousands of young players look up to him. Morant showing off guns in such a careless fashion isn't a good look for one of the brightest stars in the league.
Even if Morant wants to be a proud gun-wielding individual, he should know better than to do it in front of the internet. What happens on the internet stays on the internet, and that's doubly true for someone as big as the Grizzlies star. His reputation is already tarnished: why even risk showing a gun knowing that your friend is live?
We'll see if the Grizzlies become harsher with their punishment to Morant for this incident. Suspending him will, of course, affect their play on the court next season. If Memphis is smart, though, they should know that discouraging potentially harmful behavior from their franchise player is much more important than winning early-season games next year.
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