Ja Morant posts cryptic messages in wake of latest gun controversy
Ja Morant posts cryptic messages on his Instagram thanking his family, before sharing a now-deleted picture of himself with the word ‘bye’ – in the wake of latest gun controversy
- The since-deleted messages were shared to his 9.6 million Instagram followers
- The posts come 11 days after he was caught waving a gun for a second time
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant shared a series of cryptic messages to his family on social media 11 days after his latest gun controversy.
The since-deleted messages were shared to his 9.6 million followers on Instagram and addressed his sister, mom, dad and daughter before a final post said ‘bye.’
The posts come 11 days after the 23-year-old was caught waving a gun on Instagram live for a second time.
The first post on his Instagram story Wednesday morning was addressed to his sister Teniya, who also plays basketball and recently committed to Mississippi Valley State.
Morant shared a photo of Teniya, 18, from the announcement of her commitment to the Devilettes, above it writing, ‘Congrats baby girl. live yours,’ with a blue heart emoji.
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant shared a series of cryptic messages to his family on social media 11 days after his latest gun controversy
Morant was filmed waving a pistol (left) two months after filming himself doing the same thing in a Denver strip club (right)
He next shared a message for his mom, Jamie, telling her he loved her alongside a photo of her watching him walk on to court from the stands.
He had a similar message for his ‘pops’ Tee, who played collegiate basketball for or Claflin University, adding a photo of the pair embracing on the next post.
‘You da greatest babygirl, love ya,’ the next message read, with Morant talking to his daughter Kaari Jaidyn Morant, 3, who he shares with ex-girlfriend KK Dixon.
The final photo was of himself being interviewed, on which he wrote the word ‘bye.’
All the messages have since been deleted.
Morant was suspended ‘from all team activities’ by the Grizzlies earlier this month after he was seen brandishing a gun on Instagram for the second time in two months.
He was seen on Instagram Live in the drivers seat of a car holding a pistol on Sunday.
The clip came just two months after after he was seen in a Denver strip club holding a gun on an Instagram video that sparked a police and league investigation.
The first post was addressed to his sister Teniya (L) as he also shared one for his daughter (R)
In two separate messages he told both his mom and his dad that he loved them
In the latest clip, Morant was seen on Instagram Live in the drivers seat of a car holding a pistol while singing along to the song ‘1.5’ by rapper YoungBoy NBA.
After revealing the firearm, the person recording the video immediately turned the camera away from Morant for the remainder of the clip that has surfaced.
Morant acknowledged that he had disappointed a lot of people, such as his teammates, fans and the league, with the latest incident and insisted he still had work to do. He did not, however, say sorry.
The point guard’s statement, shared by Adrian Wojnarowski, read: ‘I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.’
In a statement to DailyMail.com, the league said, ‘We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.’
Morant’s incident from back in March showed him dancing topless in a strip club before lifting a gun to the side of his head.
Hours after the incident, it was reported that it was being investigated by the NBA, and that Morant had been banned for ‘at least two games’ by the Grizzlies while the investigation continued.
Morant then issued a statement taking responsibility for his actions and explaining he would be taking time away from the game to work on his well-being.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted he was ‘shocked’ at the latest incident
An investigation by the Glendale, Colorado police resulted in no criminal charges and found no wrongdoing.
However, while Morant took time away for his well-being, which included a brief stint in a Florida treatment center, he met with Silver where he was informed that he would be suspended for eight games – including the time he had already served.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed last week that he also discussed the gravity of Morant’s actions with him and came away with the impression that the point guard understood the seriousness.
However, after the latest incident, it appears Morant had not learnt his lesson from the sit-down with the commissioner and Silver admitted he was ‘shocked’ when the clip surfaced Sunday.
‘Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend — that video,’ he told ESPN ahead of the NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night.
‘Now, we’re in the process of investigating it. We’ll figure out exactly what happened the best we can. Again, the video is grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst.’
The scandal is just the latest in a series of controversies that have followed Morant throughout the season – something he recently recognized as a distraction to the team.
After the Grizzlies were eliminated from the playoffs by the Lakers, Morant said, ‘I’ve just got to be better with my decision-making. That’s pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just [need] more discipline.’
Morant has had several alleged violent incidents this season, including a fight with a teenager
That alleged incident last summer took place at Morant’s mansion outside Memphis (pictured)
Morant was sued in September for allegedly punching a Tennessee teenager, Josh Holloway, in the face during a pickup game, but the NBA star claims he was acting in self defense.
Recently, Morant filed a countersuit against Holloway saying that he lied to police officers and that the youth was the aggressor in the situation.
Morant was also involved in a separate incident at a Memphis mall last summer, after the Washington Post reported that the head of security told police that Morant ‘threatened’ him during an altercation in the parking lot.
Morant’s mother reportedly got into a dispute with a employee at a shoe store at the mall and she called her son who arrived shortly after with a group of ‘as many as nine people.’
According to the police report, Morant and his friends refused to leave the parking lot when confronted by the director of mall security.
Police arrived and a ‘verbal confrontation’ reportedly escalated before someone in Morant’s entourage allegedly pushed the security chief in the head, the report added.
‘As the group was leaving the premises … Ja Morant said, “Let me find out what time he gets off,”‘ police wrote.
Morant recognized the controversies as a distraction to the team (pictured with Memphis Grizzlies teammate Dillon Brooks, left)
Furthermore, there was an alleged incident following the Grizzlies’ game with the Pacers on January 29, when acquaintances of Morant ‘aggressively confronted’ members of Indiana’s traveling party – and someone allegedly pointed a red laser at them.
The Athletic said that Morant was riding with friend Davonte Pack and one other person in an SUV when a red laser was pointed at the Pacers bus.
Two people who spoke to the publication anonymously said they believed the laser was attached to a gun, while an Indiana security guard nearby claimed ‘that’s 100 percent a gun.’ However, it was not confirmed if the laser was attached to a weapon.
The league opened an investigation into the allegation but concluded that it ‘did not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon,’ an NBA spokesperson said.
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