Ja Morant’s rising career is sidelined after a series of decisions the young celebrity makes off the pitch, including a gunshot wound at a strip club.
Morant is the target of a second NBA investigation in weeks, with no authorized return to play date with the Memphis Grizzlies. Two-time star player Morant will miss a second straight game Tuesday when his team faces the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The athlete is dropped from the roster after displaying what appears to be a gun at a strip club following a loss to the Nuggets.
It comes as he faces a lawsuit alleging he punched a teenager during a friendly game at his home last summer, drinking and partying at the event.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant is a young man who needs to “grow and improve.”
He is the face of a young team, where the oldest player is 29 years old.
In November 2021, a rapper who performed at halftime at a Grizzlies game was killed in Memphis.
In 2010, a 34-year-old former Grizzlies center was found dead of gunshot wounds in a swampy field southeast of town.
Morant and the Grizzlies provided some form of respite in January in the wake of the death of Tire Nichols, following a brutal attack by five police officers.
What just happened is just the latest questionable event involving Morant.
A close friend of Morant was escorted off the field after arguing with Pacers players in January.
Last summer, during a friendly match at Morant’s home, a 17-year-old accused him of assault. Investigators said in January there was not enough evidence to pursue the case.
The talented athlete, whose potential is enormous, has a lot of support.
Morant’s talent is undisputed. He was selected second overall, in addition to being the 2020 Rookie of the Year and finishing seventh in league MVP voting last season.
This season, he ranks ninth in the NBA with an average of 27.1 points per game and fifth with 8.2 assists per game, with the second-ranked team in the West.
The Grizzlies, however, could be without their best player for an extended period.
