Grizzlies suspend Ja Morant after another incident where he appears to flash gun on Instagram

Ja Morant again has been suspended by the Grizzlies — and again has the league looking into his actions — after he appeared to flash a gun on a friend’s Instagram live account Saturday.

The video appeared on Morant’s friend Davonte Pack’s Instagram account, with the Grizzlies’ All-Star guard flashing a handgun while riding in the car’s passenger seat and singing along to a song.

The Grizzlies quickly moved to suspend Morant again, with no timeline announced as this is the offseason.

“We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Sunday.

In March, Morant was suspended eight games after a video surfaced — also on Instagram Live — of him flashing a gun in a Denver area club. After that incident, Morant spent time away from the team to seek counseling (although he never specified what kind of help he got). Morant admitted after the season his actions were part of the distractions that threw off the Grizzlies and saw them eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Lakers.

“I just got to be better with my decision-making. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization,” Morant said at the time.

The incident — and the fact that he was away from the team for eight games and caused problems for the organization — was part of why Morant did not make an All-NBA team, costing him $39 million because he was not eligible for a supermax contract.

“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in March after meeting with Morant. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”

“I don’t condone any type of violence,” Morant said in an interview with ESPN after that Denver incident. “But I take full responsibility for my actions. I made a bad mistake and I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future, I’m going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change this narrative.”

He did not change the narrative.

Morant has had other incidents as well, including being involved in a lawsuit (and countersuit by Morant) with a high school prospect after a fight during a pickup game at Morant’s Memphis area home.

Pack was allegedly involved in that incident punching the high schooler. Pack also has been thrown out and banned from Memphis’ FedEx Forum after he stepped on the court during a game to confront Pacers players. After that game, some of Morant’s associates were involved with members of the Pacers’ traveling party and security in the loading dock area of the arena, with a red laser pointed out of an SUV at the Pacers’ personnel. The NBA investigated that situation but “could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon.”

This latest incident likely will see Morant facing some kind of suspension to start the 2023-24 NBA season. For now he cannot enter team facilities.

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Grizzlies suspend Ja Morant after another incident where he appears to flash gun on Instagram originally appeared on NBCSports.com