Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

It's time for Adam Silver to act on Ja Morant

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 3/4/23

Ja Morant's troubling recent behavior took an even uglier turn after the Grizzlies guard posted a video on social media early Saturday morning of himself at a strip club carelessly brandishing a firearm.

The Grizzlies were blown out 113-97 Friday night by the Denver Nuggets and this latest indefensible act by Morant puts the league office in a position where it must draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough.

The shocking video is made even more disturbing in the wake of several allegations lobbed against Morant this past week.

The Washington Post reported Morant allegedly got into multiple altercations last summer, including one involving mall security and another where police say Morant attacked a teenager who he was playing pick-up ball with at his home.

Attorneys for Morant disputed the allegations, blasting them as "irresponsible and defamatory."

Statements from Jim Tanner and Keenan Carter on today’s Washington Post reporting: pic.twitter.com/hTYz4rw8UA
— TANDEM (@_tandemse) March 1, 2023

On Friday's episode of "Around The Horn," David Dennis Jr. criticized Morant's alleged behavior, saying, "You need better judgment and you need better people around you who will tell you to stop doing that sort of stuff."

Some thoughts from yesterday’s @AroundtheHorn about Ja Morant. Seems appropriate this morning. pic.twitter.com/AFAHFlrcYD
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) March 4, 2023

There's little dispute of Morant's reckless incident at the strip club following his team's game Friday night and it puts league commissioner Adam Silver in a position where inaction won't suffice.

As Bomani Jones noted on Twitter, J.R. Smith once received a $25,000 fine after posting a video online that showed him in bed with a woman in a thong.

i'd also like to point out j.r. smith got fined 25k for posting a woman's butt in a thong in his bed. let's see what the league does with this one.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) March 4, 2023

The situation with Morant is turning into a ticking time bomb. There's been no confirmed punishment within the Grizzlies' organization, which means Silver will likely have to be the one to diffuse it.

In 2010, former Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was suspended a year by former commissioner David Stern after Arenas got into an altercation with a teammate over a gambling debt that involved a handgun.

Using Morant's youth as an excuse would be an insult to every other young NBA player who doesn't find themself in horrible situations of their own making. Morant has the agency to make decisions on his behalf and has recently come up short at every turn.

It's time the league office puts a pause on Morant's season. If the NBA declines to act, a bad situation may only get worse.

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