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Topline
Ja Morant allegedly showed off a gun while live on Instagram early Saturday, according to images circulating on social media that have prompted an NBA investigation, just days after reports the Memphis Grizzlies’ star had been accused of threatening and violent behavior last summer, including allegedly hitting a teenager and flashing a gun at him.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant allegedly flashed a gun while live on Instagram on Saturday.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Key Facts
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said the league is investigating an image appearing to be the 23-year-old Morant’s Instagram—with more than 1,600 viewers—showing the NBA player holding a gun early Saturday morning.
Police records obtained by the Washington Post earlier this week indicated Morant had already been accused of hitting a 17-year-old during an altercation at Morant’s home in Memphis last summer—though prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to file charges.
The teenager alleges Morant knocked him to the ground and left him with a “large knot” on his head, before Morant—-who told police he acted in self-defense—retreated into his home to grab a gun.
Morant’s agent Jim Tanner denied the allegations and said they were made public to “tarnish his reputation for their own financial gain.”
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Morant was also allegedly involved in a confrontation with police at a Memphis mall in which Morant is accused of threatening one officer, though no report was filed.
Tangent
People associated with Morant have also been involved in encounters in recent months, according to The Athletic. Some of Morant’s acquaintances aggressively confronted members of the Indiana Pacers after a game on January 29, with someone in an SUV Morant was riding in later fixing a red laser on some Pacers players. One Pacers security guard suggested the laser was “100% a gun,” though an NBA investigation could not conclude whether a weapon was involved.
Big Number
$193 million. That’s how much Morant will earn after signing a five-year extension with the Grizzlies last July, according to ESPN.
Key Background
Morant, born Temetrius Jamel Morant, is a two-time NBA all-star after being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019 after a two-year stint at Murray State. Morant was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020 and was later named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2022.
Further Reading
NBA Probed Incident Involving Associates Of Grizzlies’ Ja Morant; Red Laser Trained On Pacers Team Members (The Athletic)
