Earlier today, NBA fans had cause for alarm after Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant posted an ambiguous message on Instagram. The post showed three pictures of Morant will his mother, father, and daughter. Each was accompaneied by a message of love for each of them. The fourth picture was one of Morant turned away from the camera with the simple message of "bye." Morant is waiting for the NBA to hand down a punishment after he flashed a gun on Instagram Live earlier this month. Morant served an eight-game suspension for the same thing in March.
The post was immediately concerning to fans, with some people taking it as a suicide note. Furthermore, the images were quickly deleted from Morant's account, leading to further speculation. However, there has been a positive and reassuring update in the case.
Morant Fine According To Welfare Check
According to TMZ, officers from the Shelby County Sherriff's Office in Tennessee conducted a welfare check in the wake of his social media post. According to the spokesperson who informed TMZ about the visit, Morant is "fine". Furthermore, the spokesperson informed TMZ that Morant had informed officers that he was simply "taking a break from social media."
Morant has said very little about the new gun video since it went viral on social media. It wasn't until Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his "shock" at the video during the NBA Draft Lottery that Morant issued a public statement. However, Morant's apology was not well-met. There were many criticisms about the vague and generic nature of the statement. Furthermore, some went as far as to speculate that the statement had been generated by a chatbot such as ChatGPT. While Morant served an eight-game suspension for his first gun video in March, league sources have indicated that this suspension could be much harsher. Morant is owed $33.5 million next season and carries a poison pill trade restriction until July 1. This is a developing story and any update can be found here on HotNewHipHop.
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