Ja Morant is not available for the Memphis Grizzlies when they take on the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. The embattled point guard will be serving out the ninth game of his league- and team-imposed suspension following his gun incident a few weeks back. Morant, however, joined his teammates on the bench for the first time on Monday, and the home crowd was more than happy to welcome him back.
Memphis fans gave Ja quite a welcome as he made his way to the bench right before tipoff:
The home supporters were clearly hyped to see their superstar back in the fold, despite the fact that he remained in street clothes. Morant even busted out a bit of his trademark Griddy dance moves as he dapped up his Grizzlies teammates on the bench.
Memphis fans need not wait much longer, with Ja Morant now expected to return to action on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. It is clear that he has been able to make amends for the gun incident that caused quite a ruckus throughout the NBA community. It also looks like his teammates are more than happy to welcome their superstar back after his lengthy layoff.
At 43-27, the Grizzlies are currently No. 2 in the West. They are still four games behind the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, but with Ja back in the mix, you wouldn't put it beyond Memphis to go on another one of their blistering runs to end the regular season as they look to reclaim the top spot in the conference.