Ja Morant punishment looms after NBA Finals, hints commissioner

DENVER — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the results of the NBA’s investigation into Ja Morant for allegedly displaying a handgun on Instagram for the second time will be released after the Finals.

“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information,” Silver said when asked by USA TODAY Sports how close the league was to wrapping up the investigation. “We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”

The Grizzlies suspended Morant two weeks ago after a recording of Morant on Instagram Live appeared to show him holding a handgun – almost two months after the league suspended him eight games for a similar incident in a Denver-area strip club.

Silver said Morant’s history will play a role if there is additional punishment stemming from the second incident. Silver said he has also considered if the initial eight-game punishment was too lenient but concluded Morant’s sincerity and understanding of his actions justified the suspension.

Asked if a longer suspension may have had a greater impact on Morant, Silver said, “I don’t think we yet know what it will take to change his behavior.” 

As for when any further punishment may be coming, Silver said:

“Given that we’re of course in the offseason, he has now been suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies indefinitely, so nothing would have changed anyway in the next few weeks. It seemed better to park that at the moment, at least any public announcement, and my sense now is that shortly after the conclusion of the Finals we will announce the outcome of that investigation.”

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt

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