Nike Issues Statement Regarding Grizzlies Star Ja Morant
Early Saturday morning, following the Memphis Grizzlies' game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant posted a live video on Instagram of him in what appeared to be a strip club.
During this video, Morant was seen pointing a gun at the camera, leading to the league launching an investigation into Morant and the Grizzlies taking action as well.
Memphis announced that the two-time All-Star would be away from the team for their next two games and shortly after, Nike, who endorses Morant, issued a statement of their own.
"We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being," Nike stated, via Shams Charania.
At this time, it does not appear as if Morant is being dropped from Nike's roster, but this situation with him having the gun in the club could cause some problems for the two sides moving forward.
Morant himself also issued a statement on Saturday via his agency, Tandem Sports & Entertainment.
"I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down," Morant said. "I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
Whether or not Ja Morant returns after his two-game "suspension" from the team is yet to be known, as he did state that he will "take some time away" in his statement above.
Losing Brandon Clarke to a torn left Achilles in Friday night's game and not having Dillon Brooks for a game due to him picking up his 16th technical foul on the season, which warrants a one game suspension from the NBA, the Grizzlies are now left very short-handed.
Currently 38-24 on the season, Memphis is 1.5 games up on the Sacramento Kings for the 2-seed in the Western Conference with 20 games remaining on their schedule.
The Grizzlies will play their next game on Sunday night in Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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