Ja Morant has made 'difficult decisions and poor choices,' no timetable to return, coach says
Morant was suspended following the incident
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There is no timetable for Ja Morant to return to the Memphis Grizzlies as he sits out following the controversy over the weekend in which he appeared to brandish a gun while at a nightclub in a livestream on social media, coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday.
Morant was not with the team in Los Angeles for the Grizzlies’ game Sunday against the Clippers. The team will play the Lakers on Tuesday.
Jenkins said before the team’s game against the Clippers that Morant has made "difficult decisions and poor choices" that he has to be accountable for.
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Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins listens to a question about about Ja Morant during a news conference prior to an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday, March 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
"He’s definitely embracing the mistakes that he’s made but only time will tell. We’re going to support him and we’re going to hold him accountable to make those changes," Jenkins said, declining to lay out the exact steps Morant needed to accomplish to return to the Grizzlies.
"We love him, we want what’s best for him, we support him. It’s going to be a difficult process but we’ve got a great group to get through this."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jenkins added that it was "an ongoing healing process."
Morant streamed the video on his Instagram Live and a screenshot of him appearing to hold the gun was quickly circulated around social media outlets.
Mar 3, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) adjusts his face guard during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He later issued an apology after he received a two-game suspension.
"I take full responsibility for my actions last night," Morant said. "I'm sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I'm going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
The gun incident is the latest in a string of controversies looming over the superstar point guard. Morant actions were investigated after a Jan. 29 incident in Memphis that he said led to a friend, Davonte Pack, of his being banned from home games for a year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mar 3, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) looks on in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
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Morant and Pack also are involved in a civil lawsuit brought after an incident this past summer in which a 17-year-old alleged that they assaulted him at Morant’s home. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said in January that it was "aware of the incident, and after careful review of the facts, decided that there was not enough evidence to proceed with a case."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.