NBA Imposes Eight-Game Ban on Memphis Grizzlies Star Player Ja Morant
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has punished Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for eight games due to behavior harmful to the league. This comes after he was caught waving a firearm in a strip club during a live stream on Instagram in Denver.
Morant missed the last six games, which many experts believed was an unofficial suspension by the league. Morant and Silver met at NBA headquarters in New York City on Wednesday to discuss his discipline. Silver officially suspended Morant for eight games without pay.
After serving his suspension, Morant will miss two more games, bringing his total to eight. He is set to return to the Grizzlies next week against the Dallas Mavericks. The Grizzlies finished with a 3-3 record without Morant on the court.
In his fourth season with the Grizzlies, Morant led the team in scoring and assists, averaging 27.1 points, 8.2 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Denver Blunders to Avoid
Morant was embroiled in multiple off-court incidents that became public in recent weeks. It was the poor judgment following a loss in Denver in early March that landed him in hot water.
After the Grizzlies lost to the Denver Nuggets on March 3, Morant visited a renowned strip club called Shotgun Willies, located in the Denver suburb of Glendale, Colo. He participated in an Instagram Live video inside the club, displaying a firearm.
Visiting gentlemen’s clubs and striptease establishments is common among NBA players. However, most players are smart enough to keep guns hidden during social media live streams, especially during a lap dance in a VIP room.
Morant took a break from the Grizzlies last week while the NBA conducted an investigation. During his time away from the team, Morant spent time at a treatment facility in Florida. In a statement, Morant stated that he sought help to “learn better ways to manage stress and improve overall well-being.”
Morant left treatment this week and flew to New York City for a meeting with Silver to discuss his return to the Grizzlies.
Morant's Gun-Related Indiscretions
At just 23 years old, Morant has already made a name for himself as one of the NBA's most exhilarating players. He won the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award and was named the Most Improved Player in his third season in the league last year.
Adjusting to life as a celebrity is challenging for many young players. They struggle to find a balance between friends and family back home and their life as a professional athlete. Some of Morant’s friends and family from South Carolina moved with him to Memphis after the Grizzlies drafted him with the #2 pick in 2019.
A few of his South Carolina friends got him involved in a dodgy incident in late January after a home game against the Indiana Pacers. Morant’s friends targeted the Pacers team bus with a gun and laser sight while it was parked in the loading area at FedExForum. reportedly, it was all in good fun, but the Pacers reported the incident to the NBA league office.
A while back, a report surfaced that Morant brandished a gun during a pickup game at his home during the off-season following an argument that escalated with a 17-year-old guest.
Wagering on the Grizzlies after Morant’s Suspension
The Grizzlies have a 41-26 record and currently hold second place in the Western Conference standings. They trail the first-place Denver Nuggets by four games and have a one-game lead over the third-place Sacramento Kings.
If the season ended today, the Grizzlies would earn the #2 seed in the playoffs for the second consecutive postseason. The Golden State Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
The Grizzlies have +2200 odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship and hold the eighth-highest position on DraftKings’ futures board. At the end of January, the Grizzlies' championship odds were as low as +850.
According to a prediction by FiveThirtyEight, the Grizzlies have a 27% chance to advance to the 2023 NBA Finals and a 12% chance to win the championship.
The Grizzlies are +900 odds to win the Western Conference and are the fifth-highest team on the board, despite holding second place.
The Grizzlies have a 32-33-2 record against the spread this season, but have gone 6-3 ATS in their last nine games.
If you’re an NBA totals bettor, you'll know that the Grizzlies were the best under-betting team in the NBA this season. The points total under was 37-28-2 this season with a 57% success rate.
