Days before his anticipated season debut, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant expressed gratitude for the support he received during his 25-game suspension and acknowledged feeling responsible for the team’s struggles in his absence.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the end of last season, Morant credited basketball as a therapeutic outlet throughout his life and admitted that having the game taken away made his situation more challenging.
He highlighted the support from his family, friends, the Grizzlies organization, and others, along with therapy, in helping him cope during his suspension.
“It was definitely tough, some horrible days,” Morant said on Friday. “It was tough, but like I said, to start this with the support that I had throughout this process, it definitely helped me a lot. It’s pretty much all I could lean on at that time.
Obviously basketball is something I’ve been doing pretty much my whole life. Something that’s therapeutic for me.
Obviously taking that away, it makes it tougher. But I had the right people around me, from my family to the organization and to my other partners that helped me along in process.”
Morant’s suspension is set to end Tuesday, coinciding with the Grizzlies’ upcoming road game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Memphis has struggled this season with a 6-17 record as of Friday, grappling with injuries to key players in addition to Morant’s absence. Last season, Morant led the team with averages of 26.2 points and 8.1 assists per game as they secured the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed.
“It’s definitely some guilt at that,” Morant acknowledged. “Obviously I’m not on the floor and obviously nobody likes losing, so our job is to go out there and get a win.
I take full responsibility of that obviously, even though I’m not on the floor. Decisions I made didn’t allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team.”
Ja Morant (Credits: NBA)
After the Grizzlies were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs last April, Morant publicly committed to making better decisions, acknowledging that his off-court issues had negatively affected the team’s performance.
Earlier in the year, he was suspended for eight games in March for displaying a handgun during an Instagram Live video from a Denver-area strip club, followed by another suspension shortly after for a similar incident.
“We’ve, together, laid out a program for him over the last several weeks, and to the best of my knowledge, he’s complied with everything he’s been asked to do,”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said recently. “As I said, we’ll talk at least once this week before he comes back, and we will review the program and make sure the conditions are in place for him to be successful going forward.”
Morant described his conversation with Silver as positive and reiterated his commitment to improving his decision-making off the court while remaining true to himself.
“I honestly feel like I can’t go away from being Ja,” Morant said.
“I feel like that’s the most important thing, not trying to lose myself or be somebody that I’m not or act totally different, but the change will be my decision-making and how I go about my daily life of being a NBA player, a father, a role model, a brother, a son, and just focusing in on that being the best Ja I can be.”
Despite the challenges, Morant expressed excitement about his return to the Grizzlies and emphasized confidence in the team’s ability to turn their season around.
“As far as where we stand, I’m not worried at all,” Morant asserted. “Obviously we have guys out, but I feel like we’ve been preaching over the years that next-man-up mentality.
I say I don’t think it’ll be long before we find it. I feel like we’re taking strides in the right direction as of now, as of late, and I feel like the only way for us is to go is up.”
Reflecting on his recent experiences, Morant noted that he had gained new perspectives on life and emphasized the importance of protecting his peace moving forward.
Morant concluded by acknowledging that he needs to prove himself through actions rather than words, particularly in his role as a leader for the Grizzlies.
