Grizzlies: We Respect League’s Decision on Ja Morant

The Grizzlies had already suspended star guard Ja Morant from offseason activities for brandishing a firearm on social media — for a second time in six months.

Now, the league has added to that by suspending Morant for the entire offseason, the preseason, and the first 25 games of the regular season.

Along with that, Morant must complete certain steps to have the 25-game suspension lifted, the NBA said.

The Grizzlies, for their part, seem to be in full agreement with the decision handed down by commissioner Adam Silver.

“We respect the League’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode,” the Grizzlies said in a statement. “Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”

Morant and the Grizzlies are looking to build off last season’s regular season, in which they finished with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. But they bowed out of the playoffs early, losing to the Lakers in the first round.

Now, the Grizzlies can approach the 2023 NBA Draft and free agency with Morant’s suspension in mind.