Justin Ford/Getty Images
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is OK after being the subject of a police welfare check at his home in Tennessee.
According to TMZ Sports, a spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that officers checked on Morant after he posted cryptic messages on his Instagram account Wednesday, including simply writing, “Bye.”
The police spokesperson said Morant is “fine” and is taking a break from social media.
The Grizzlies suspended Morant indefinitely from all team activities last week in the wake of him appearing in his friend’s Instagram Live video while apparently holding a gun.
Morant released an apologetic statement after the Grizzlies announced his suspension, saying: “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.”
The 23-year-old Morant’s latest suspension comes after he was also suspended during the 2022-23 season.
In March, the NBA suspended Morant for eight games for “for conduct detrimental to the league.” The suspension came after he was apparently holding a gun in an Instagram Live video taken at a Denver nightclub while on a road trip with the Grizzlies.
Morant, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Murray State, recently completed his fourth NBA season. He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive campaign and averaged 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals per game for a Grizzlies team that went 51-31.
Despite being the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Morant missed one game in the series because of a hand injury and averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 assists and 6.8 rebounds in the five games that he played.
With most of this season’s core, including Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, under contract for next season, the Grizzlies are once again expected to be top contenders in the West.
The Grizzlies have given no indication how long Morant’s suspension could potentially last, but heavy preparations for the 2023-24 season will not begin until training camp opens in September.