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With Grizzlies guard Ja Morant unraveling, the team recently had a players-only meeting directed at him, according to a new report.
Morant was banned for two games – and later deemed to be out indefinitely by coach Taylor Jenkins – after he posted a video on his Instagram story of him flashing a gun in a strip club.
And there was at least one attempt to change Morant’s course recently, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, as Steven Adams reportedly led a players-only meeting encouraging his teammates to show ‘better discipline on the road.’
According to the report, the veteran center told his teammates ‘they need to stay away from going out when they’re on the road,’ though it was obvious who his words were largely intended for.
‘I’m told those in the room, when Steven Adams spoke out, they knew exactly who he was directing this to,’ Charania reported. ‘It was no one other than Ja Morant.’
Ja Morant is away from the Grizzlies indefinitely after a series of gun-related incidents
Steven Adams reportedly led a players-only meeting, which was largely directed at Morant
Morant was seen dancing topless in a strip club on his Instagram just hours after the Grizzlies’ defeat in Denver last Friday when he appeared to hold a gun next to his head. Police in Glendale, Colorado – a suburb of Denver – are now investigating to see if Morant broke any gun laws.
He was banned for two games and issued an apology, but Jenkins said that he has to ‘get better’.
Speaking ahead of the team’s defeat to the Clippers in their first game without the two-time All-Star, he said: ‘We have said that it’s going to be at least these two games.
‘I mean, this is going be an ongoing healing process… It’s really not a timetable situation.’
‘We’re taking this very seriously,’ Jenkins added. ‘There’s a supportive element for someone that’s got to get better and needs some help. But then there’s also accountability to the team that we’ve got to stand for.
‘Obviously nationwide, league wide, there’s been a lot of attention on gun violence, and so for us, that’s the stance that we’ve taken about how we can support Ja throughout this growth opportunity. It’s a learning opportunity, and hopefully we can be better from it.’
Grizzlies’ Morant was seen pretending to shoot a gun in celebration during a game this week
Morant released a statement saying he will be taking some time away to receive help
While the Grizzlies are second in the Western Conference with a 38-25 record, Morant’s off-the-court involvements – as well as the season-ending Achilles injury to Brandon Clarke – have threatened to torpedo Memphis’ season.
Morant has been involved in four alleged gun-related incidents in recent months, with the strip club video just the latest in a string of controversies.
He was sued in September for allegedly punching a Tennessee teenager in the face during a pickup game, something the NBA star claims was in self defense.
New details from police interviews obtained by The Washington Post revealed that the 17-year-old told detectives from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office that the point guard hit him ’12 to 13 times,’ adding that Morant’s friend struck him an additional ‘four to five times.’
The teenager claimed that as he got up to leave after the fight Morant went into his house and re-emerged with a gun.
In a baffling incident just days after the report was released, Morant courted yet more controversy – this time at an NBA game – when he performed a gun celebration after watching a teammate shoot a three-pointer.
The unsavory moment occurred last week as the Grizzlies took on the Rockets, with Morant watching on from the bench as Desmond Bane drained a three-pointer in front of his teammates.
Morant appeared to hold up a gun in an Instagram Live video in the early hours of Saturday
Morant was hyped up by the shot, and celebrated by pretending to shoot a gun at Bane as he ran up the floor back on defense.
Furthermore, there was an unsavory incident following the Grizzlies’ game with the Pacers on January 29, when acquaintances of Ja Morant ‘aggressively confronted’ members of Indiana ‘s traveling party – and pointed a red laser at them.
The Athletic said that Morant was riding with friend Davonte Pack and one other person in an SUV when a red laser was pointed at the Pacers bus.
Two people who spoke to the publication anonymously said they believed the laser was attached to a gun, while an Indiana security guard nearby claimed ‘that’s 100 percent a gun.’ However, it has not been confirmed it the laser was attached to a weapon.
