Grizzlies' Ja Morant Says His 'Off-the-Court Issues' Affected Team at End of Season
Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant put the blame on himself for Memphis' exit in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs Friday night.
After the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Grizz 125-85 to win Game 6 and the series, Morant said "off-the-court issues" he created negatively impacted the team, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon: "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."
In March, Morant appeared to be holding a gun in an Instagram Live video taken at a Denver-area nightclub. Morant was not charged with a crime due to insufficient evidence, but he was suspended for eight games by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league.
While the gun video received much of the media attention, there were also other allegations involving Morant that were brought to light.
TMZ Sports reported that Morant and some of his family members were investigated by police after an alleged confrontation with a student at a high school in Germantown, Tennessee, in September after the student had a disagreement with Morant's sister.
Morant was also investigated for allegedly flashing a gun at a 17-year-old boy during a pickup basketball game at his home in July, as well as punching the boy.
Although Morant reportedly admitted to punching the boy, he said it was in self-defense after getting the ball thrown at his head.
Morant was not charged with a crime in either case.
The 23-year-old Morant completed his fourth NBA season Friday, and he has developed into one of the league's biggest stars.
Morant has been named an All-Star in each of the past two seasons, and he enjoyed a career year statistically in 2022-23, averaging 26.2 points and a career-high 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Due in large part to Morant's play, the Grizz went 51-31 during the regular season and secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Memphis ran into perhaps the toughest 7th seed in the history of the NBA playoffs, though, as a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis proved too much to overcome.
While the Grizzlies will go back to the drawing board during the offseason, the Lakers await either the Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings in the second round of the playoffs.
