NBA superstar Ja Morant was suspended, after a video leaked purportedly showing him holding a fake gun. Media Take Out confirmed.
The NBA announced on Friday that it suspended Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for 25 games to start the 2023-24 season because of conduct detrimental to the leaguey.
The Grizzlies suspended Morant from team activities May 14 after a video on social media circulated showing the All-Star brandishing what the NBA called a “firearm.” But a new video circulating online, shows that the gun was a fake.
Media Take Out spoke with a person in Ja’s camp who told us that the gun incident was just a PRANK – between friends, that was unfortunately captured on video.
According to a member of the Morant family, who spoke exclusively to Media Take Out, Ja did not have a gun … nor did he ever mean to have one.
The insider explained, “[Ja’s friend] played a prank on him, by showing him a lighter that was shaped like a gun.”
“Everyone around Ja knows that he no longer allowed guns around him, so it was a sort of a prank,” Ja’s family member added.
The insider told Media Take Out that Ja laughed off the incident, after inspecting the toy gun and making sure it wasn’t real.
“What you saw in the video [that got the NBA player suspended] was just the split second when Ja was holding the toy,” the insider continued.
Media Take Out is also told that the NBA knows the gun is a toy, and so do many of the commentators that have harshly criticized Ja – including ESPNs Stephen A Smith.
Despite this, here is the reasoning for the league pushing out such a harsh response.
The NBA wrote, “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,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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.”
The NBA suspended Morant for eight games following a similar incident in March, when he was seen on Instagram Live holding up a handgun while intoxicated at a Denver-area club.
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