Moments Before Deciding Victor Wembanyama’s Future, Adam Silver Speaks Up on Ja Morant’s Fate

The NBA as we know it is about to go through a defining moment. With the 2023 Draft Lottery a few moments away, Adam Silver is going to announce which team gets the first chance at picking Victor Wembanyama. Don’t get me wrong, Scoot Henderson is an incredible talent, but a player like Wemby is someone the NBA hasn’t seen before. Before the lottery starts, Silver sat down with ESPN and talked about another pressing issue: Ja Morant and his future in the league.

A few days ago, over the weekend, a recording of an Instagram Live made rounds on social media. It was Ja Morant with another person and he was allegedly holding a firearm.

Ja Morant really got suspended and went and got an even BIGGER gun 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/x285twcPN0

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 14, 2023

This led to the Grizzlies suspending him from all team activities.

Statement from the Memphis Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/XXLjr6QtlG

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) May 14, 2023

Tonight is the first time Adam Silver spoke to the press since the incident, and here’s what he had to say:

Adam Silver was ‘surprised’ by Ja Morant’s actions

Ja Morant already went through the whole ‘gun incident’ and suspension back in March. That led him to miss eight games, and, eventually, missing an All-NBA team. This led him to miss out on $39 Million.

Ahead of the 2023 Draft Lottery, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the media. While talking to Malika Andrews of ESPN, he was asked about Ja Morant and his future. Here’s what Adam Silver had to say:

“I at least was left with the sense that he was taking this incredibly seriously. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend… I’m assuming the worst.” 

“Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend — that video. Now, we’re in the process of investigating it.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke on Ja Morant after his latest video. pic.twitter.com/W0lX4E2fa4

— ESPN (@espn) May 16, 2023

From his words, it’s clear that Silver and the NBA aren’t taking Ja’s repeat offense lightly. In his years in the NBA, Ja has become an icon amongst the youth. Not only is it tremendous pressure on the Grizzlies star, but also on the NBA to make sure he projects the right image.

If it does end up being a firearm in the video, Ja might be headed for a longer suspension. That might put his Nike deal and other endorsements in jeopardy as well.