NBA Commissioner ‘Shocked’ by Second Video of Ja Morant Brandishing Handgun: ‘He Seemed to Take it Incredibly Seriously’ After First Incident

Ahmad Austin Jr.May 17th, 2023, 4:50 pm
 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was blindsided by the news of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant once again brandishing a handgun.

Speaking before the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, Silver told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that when it happened the first time in March, Morant appeared to understand the severity of the situation. Because of this, Silver was “shocked” it happened again.

“We were very focused on the misconduct that was in front of at the time,” Silver said. “And frankly, most of our conversation was about how incredibly serious the first incident was, of waving a firearm on social media, and the consequences there. An eight-game suspension was pretty serious, and something that he — at least, to me — seemed to take incredibly serious in that time.”

During that conversation, Silver said they spoke about the potential danger of the situation and the fact that he may be a role model for possibly “tens of millions of kids.”

“I at least was left with the sense that he was taking this incredibly seriously,” he said. “Honestly, I was shocked when I saw it this weekend, that video. Now, we’re in the process of investigating it and we’ll figure out exactly what happened to the best we can. The video’s a bit grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst. But we’ll figure out exactly what happened there.”

Later on that night, Morant released a statement on the incident.

“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”

Watch above via ESPN

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