NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he is still doing a lot of thinking about Ja Morant’s claim that he was holding a toy gun in an Instagram Live video.
The Grizzlies star is currently suspended from all team activities after he was seen holding what appeared to be a firearm in a social media live stream on May 13 — less than three months after he brandished a firearm in a separate live stream on March 4 at Shotgun Willie’s strip club in Glendale, Colo.
During a Thursday interview on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Silver questioned if it should even matter whether the gun in the second video was real, as Morant previously served an eight-game suspension for the first incident.
“It’s interesting,” Silver said Thursday, adding that he is aware of reports of Morant’s camp claiming he didn’t have a real gun in the second video.
“It’s something that I’m thinking a lot about because, again, I’m not going to get into specifics about the investigation — but in fact, if you’re live streaming something to the world that looks exactly like a gun and in a frankly reckless manner, should it matter whether or not it’s a real gun?
“The very issue for Ja, certainly in the first incident, was treating a gun as a toy. That’s what we’re talking about and that’s what I think the danger is to society.
“Taking a gun, live streaming it, without getting into gun issues in terms of the propriety of owning guns and the use of guns, I think everyone agrees that gun safety is critically important and that guns aren’t toys.”
Earlier this week, Claudia Jordan said on “The Breakfast Club” that she heard from Morant’s camp that the weapon shown in the second gun video was a toy.
“Adam Silver is still going to go through with the suspension,” she said, “looking like it should be 30 games even though the [NBA] knows it was a toy gun.”
That came after Silver said in a press conference before the start of the 2023 NBA Finals that he had “uncovered” more information around the incident, and that Morant’s punishment would be announced after the Nuggets-Heat series concludes.
Silver said Thursday “we haven’t completely wrapped [the investigation] up.”
The commissioner went on to explain that “everything that is presented to us is relevant” in the investigation, and that the league will take into account past conduct and the circumstances of the situation.
When asked if it’s a fair assessment that he was disappointed when the second gun incident surfaced, Silver agreed.
Silver also confirmed that during the first incident, Morant was waving an actual gun in a club while inebriated and live-streaming it.
The first time around, Silver said Morant “fully owned it,” and recalled the NBA star telling him during a meeting: “I made a terrible mistake and will learn from the mistake.”
Morant issued a public apology after the first incident, and also attended a short counseling program in Florida before rejoining the Grizzlies.
Silver said he would not get into a precise number of games for which Morant could be suspended for the second gun incident, adding that the issue is not all about discipline.
“I recognize that he needs some assistance from the league office, his union, his team,” Silver said, adding that Morant is not on a positive trajectory.
“He’s suspended from team activities [right now],” Silver said. “I want to find a way where frankly, he’s not being kicked tot he curb, but basketball will take a backseat.
“And first and foremost, we’re going to focus on him as a young man developing as a better person, as someone who is more responsible, particularly when it comes to guns. I mean, this is a really serious issue.”
