In an effort to prove to his supporters he did not have a real firearm in his second gun-flashing incident, a new video shows the Memphis Grizzlies star playing with a toy weapon.
A video obtained by TMZ shows Morant holding a gun lighter on May 14 which was a day after his second incident. Morant is seen with his visible tattoos lighting a candle with the fake gun. He says in the clip, “You hold it, and everything comes out.” TMZ notes that Ja sent the video around to those close to him after they had questioned why he was seen brandishing a firearm in a social media video again after initially being suspended for doing the same thing back in March!
While Ja never publicly stated the gun was not a real one right after the incident, Claudia Jordan first reported it while appearing on “The Breakfast Club” earlier this month. She said at the time that some inside the athlete’s camp had told her the gun was fake.
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“My sources say that the relative in the car in the backseat had a toy gun in the car,” Jordan said. “The gun is not real. And [he] was playing around with it, passed it over to Ja, and that got caught on the Live.”
The former Real Housewives of Atlanta star member continued, “The video was sent to Adam Silver and the NBA, allegedly. They have it and they say the gun looks extremely fake like it’s obviously a toy gun. According to my source, allegedly, Adam Silver is still going to go through with the suspension.”
And he did… on Friday it was announced that Morant point guard will be suspended for 25 games without pay.
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated,” Silver said.
Ja Morant issued an apology following news of his suspension, expressing remorse for the “harm that I’ve done.”
I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused. I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman and Robert Pera — who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me — I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.
I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season. I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”
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