Ja Morant Enters Counseling Program, Immediate Future Uncertain
After a tumultuous week that found himself embroiled in possibly legal problems, it appears that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will be stepping away from the team for a more extended period than originally thought. While no charges were filed by Denver police, the Instagram Live post of him allegedly flashing a gun and the newly leaked strip club photos likely aren’t going over all that well with the team or the NBA.
Last week, the Grizzlies announced that Morant would be away from the team for at least two games. It was later amending, saying that it would be a few more games before the star was back and that he would likely return March 17th versus San Antonio.
The new report from Tim MacMahon of ESPN, delivered via the traditional Woj tweet, now says that Ja Morant has “entered a counseling program”. Obviously, we don’t know the entirety of what the young guard is dealing with and we wish him the best.
As is customary when an athlete gets in trouble, brands start to shy away. Yesterday it was announced that Powerade would be halting ads featuring Ja Morant.
Morant signed a five-year, $193M designated rookie maximum extension last year that can be worth up to $231M based on All-Star game appearances. On the path to likely become the best player the franchise has seen, Morant became just the second Memphis player to be named a starter in the All-Star game last year. He added to that legacy this winter by becoming the first Grizzlies player to be an All-Star starter twice. Memphis currently sits in 3rd place in the Western Conference with a 40-26 record.
They are in action tonight on the road versus Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
