Source: David Berding / Getty
We knew it was just a matter of time before news broke about Ja Morant‘s suspension now that the NBA Finals is over but we didn’t expect the news to be this…toothless.
According to ESPN, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has elected to suspend the Memphis Grizzlies superstar for just 25 games to start the 2023-2024 season. We say “only” because for weeks now, journalists, talking heads, and even the commish himself gave off the impression that Morant’s suspension would be very severe. 25 games don’t exactly coincide with a put-you-in-your-place type of punishment. In fact, many believed that at LEAST a 41-game suspension (half the season) was all but guaranteed.
Reactions to the news have varied as all things do on social media but the overall feeling leans much more toward surprise than “that’s what I expected”. After all, it took Ja essentially a month to go back to his gun-totin’ shenanigans after he was suspended back in May for the exact same thing. The thinking was that a repeat offense so close to the initial infraction meant Ja was approaching Ned Stark in Game of Thrones season 1 territory of danger.
We can tell you right now that we are beyond surprised that Ja got off this easy. Sure, he’s going to lose an estimated 8 figures in salary and who knows how this second go-round with guns will affect his endorsement money but when the rubber meets the road, Ja still has a chance to be celebrated at the All-Star game. A 25-game suspension means he will have about a month to make a case for himself and fans are very likely to vote him in just off popularity.
That said, there are those who feel that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the 25 games suspension.
Where do you stand in all this? Is 25 really fair? Did Ja deserve to miss the entire season? Sound off in the comments below and tag us on Twitter!
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