AP Photo/Brandon Dill
After Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant received a 25-game suspension from the NBA on Friday for a second instance of holding a gun on Instagram Live, TMZ obtained video allegedly of Morant holding a lighter resembling a gun recorded after the live stream.
According to TMZ, Morant allegedly filmed himself holding the lighter “back on May 14 in an effort to show his family and friends that he did not have a real firearm during his now-infamous Instagram Live [session].” It’s not confirmed that it’s actually Morant on the video, but TMZ noted Morant’s distinct tattoos on the forearm in the video.
Only a hand can be seen using the lighter in the video, which was reportedly sent “to those close to [Morant] after they had questioned why he was seen brandishing a firearm in a social media video yet again.”
Morant has never publicly stated that the gun he was seen holding in a May 13 social media video was not a real firearm. The incident occurred nearly two months after he received an eight-game suspension stemming from his Instagram Live video in which he was seen holding a handgun in a Denver-area nightclub.
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Ja Morant was allegedly seen showing off a gun on IG Live yesterday ? pic.twitter.com/fdhjBbIn9c
On June 7, Claudia Jordan said while hosting an episode of The Breakfast Club that she had been in contact with Morant’s camp and she was informed that the gun was fake.
Morant’s suspension for conduct detrimental to the league was announced on Friday, and the NBA stated that he “will also be required to meet certain conditions before he returns to play and will be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension.”
Following the suspension, the National Basketball Players’ Association released a statement in which executive director Tamika Tremaglio called it “excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons including the facts involved in this particular incident” and said the union “will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”
Morant also released a lengthy statement apologizing for his actions.
“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. … I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you,” part of his statement said.