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NBA: Grizzlies' Morant suspended by team after gun video

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Ja Morant looks to dunk the ball during the 72nd NBA All-Star game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 19 February 2023. George Frey, EPA-EFE." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/03/05/030523_nba-asg-ja-morant_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Ja Morant looks to dunk the ball during the 72nd NBA All-Star game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 19 February 2023. George Frey, EPA-EFE.</figcaption></figure></div>LOS ANGELES -- Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was suspended by his team for at least two games on Saturday after posting a video where he appeared to display a gun in a nightclub.The Grizzlies issued a statement saying that Morant &quot;will be away from the team for at least the next two games&quot;.That will mean Morant will not play on Sunday against the LA Clippers or Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.A two-time NBA All Star and NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020, the 23-year-old Morant is seen as one of the brightest young talents in the league but has been involved in a series of off-court incidents.&quot;I take full responsibility for my actions last night,&quot; Morant said in a statement.&quot;I&#x27;m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down.&quot;I&#x27;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,&quot; he added.In the Instagram Live broadcast in the early hours of Saturday morning, Morant was seen holding up a handgun.Morant later deleted both his Instagram and Twitter accounts on Saturday.The NBA said they were investigating the case while Morant&#x27;s sponsors Nike issued a supportive statement.&quot;We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being,&quot; the company said.But pundits were less forgiving.&quot;Ja Morant’s fault is his own, and I’m proud of him for owning it. But he needs to get it together,&quot; said ESPN&#x27;s Stephen A Smith.&quot;It doesn’t matter where Ja Morant is from or how he grew up, he’s making truly catastrophic decisions,&quot; tweeted journalist Jemele Hill.The incident comes just days after U.S. media reported that Morant had been accused in police reports last year of punching a 17-year-old.No criminal charges were filed against Morant in the incident, which took place during a pickup basketball game at Morant&#x27;s Tennessee house in July 2022. Morant&#x27;s agent said he had been acting in self-defense.In police records obtained by the Washington Post , the unnamed teenaged boy accused Morant of punching him &quot;12-13 times&quot; during a pickup basketball game at Morant&#x27;s Tennessee house in July 2022.In interviews with police the teen said that after their altercation Morant went into his house and &quot;re-emerged with a gun visible in the waistband of his pants.&quot;Morant told police he &quot;swung first&quot; but felt he was acting in self-defense after the teenager threw a basketball that hit him in the head, later making a comment that Morant found threatening.&quot;Any of the dozens of witnesses will confirm Ja acted in self-defense and that he did not have a firearm,&quot; said Morant&#x27;s agent Jim Tanner.Days before that incident, the head of security at a Memphis mall told police he felt &quot;threatened&quot; by Morant and a group of his associates after an incident in the shopping center&#x27;s parking lot.Morant was in the headlines again in early February, when the NBA investigated allegations by the Indiana Pacers that the player&#x27;s entourage &quot;aggressively confronted&quot; members of their traveling party, possibly pointing a red laser at them.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Ja Morant was suspended by his team for at least two games on Saturday after posting a video where he appeared to display a gun in a nightclub.