Ja Morant incident came after players-only meeting about showing ‘better discipline’ on road: report

Memphis Grizzlies veteran center Steven Adams reportedly spoke up at a players-only meeting and told teammates they should buckle down while on the road for games given their dismal away record.

The meeting occurred before Ja Morant was seen on a livestream appearing to brandish a gun at a nightclub following the Grizzlies’ game Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, The Athletic reported Monday. NBA reporter Shams Charania elaborated on the topic on Bally Sports’ “The Rally.”

“There was a players only meeting where Steven Adams, their veteran center, he spoke out about how the team needs to show better discipline on the road. How they need to stay away from going out when they’re on the road,” Charania said.

“From those in the room, when Steven Adams spoke out they knew exactly who he was directing this to — it was no one other than Ja Morant. Clearly, still, Ja Morant went out in the early hours of Saturday. That video was posted with a gun and there’s questions. Was the gun his? Did he have a license? Was he traveling with the gun? Where did the gun come from? Was it a friend’s? How many other weapons were there? Is it even legal to carry a weapon in the area they were at?”

Memphis is 12-20 on the road.

Morant is now under a police investigation in Colorado stemming from the incident. Glendale police Capt. Jamie Dillon told The Associated Press authorities didn’t receive any calls or complaints about Morant’s actions but began looking into them Saturday after learning about the video that circulated on social media.

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Ja Morant #12 and Steven Adams #4 of the Memphis Grizzlies interact in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on November 30, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Police are probing whether Morant broke any laws.

There is no timetable for Morant’s return to the team, coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday before they took on the Los Angeles Clippers. The superstar point guard was going to be away from the team for at least two games.

Jenkins said that Morant has made “difficult decisions and poor choices” that he has to be accountable for.

Mar 3, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

“He’s definitely embracing the mistakes that he’s made, but only time will tell. We’re going to support him, and we’re going to hold him accountable to make those changes,” Jenkins said, declining to lay out the exact steps Morant needed to accomplish to return to the Grizzlies.

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“We love him, we want what’s best for him, we support him. It’s going to be a difficult process, but we’ve got a great group to get through this.”

Jenkins added that it was “an ongoing healing process.”

Morant issued an apology for the incident.

Steven Adams #4 looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 31, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

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