Ja Morant has reflected on his 25-game suspension for brandishing a firearm on livestreams on multiple occasions earlier this year. Amid some wider comments, Morant said there had been some "horrible days". However, Morant accepted that simply returning to the Grizzlies wasn't going to be enough for a lot of people. "I can't, you know, make nobody believe me outside of my actions. So me answering this question with just words probably won't mean nothing to nobody," Morant told reporters on Friday.
Morant is expected to return next Tuesday against the Pelicans. However, Morant returns to a Grizzlies team in dire straits. Last year's Western Conference second seed is 6-17 and on a three-game losing streak. Their last win was against the even more hapless Detroit Pistons on December 6. Whether Morant can help engineer a turnaround remains to be seen.
Ja Morant Testifies To Self-Defense In Assault Case
However, Morant's gun-flashing suspension is not the only legal trouble that Morant is in. Morant is facing a lawsuit over assaulting a 17-year-old boy at his home last year. While testifying in court earlier this week, Morant did not deny hitting the boy. However, Morant argued that he hit him in "self-defense" after the boy threw a basketball at his face. Despite this, the prosecution is pushing hard to punish Morant. "We're in this court. We're not on a basketball court. In this court, we're all equal. Nobody's above the law." an attorney for the prosecution said during opening arguments. This remains a developing story and we'll have any updates as and when they emerge.
Morant's fall from grace has also been pinned on his father, Tee. "Tee has been a major driving force in all of this. He never made the NBA, but this was his chance to live like he's an NBA superstar. That's been a problem from the beginning," an anonymous source told ESPN while discussing what had driven Morant into such a compromising position.
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