Weeks after Ja Morant’s recent shooting, in which a flash of a firearm appeared on Instagram Live for the second time, people around the NBA star are now reportedly claiming the gun in question was fake.
During Tuesday’s episode of “The Breakfast Club,” host Claudia Jordan said she’s been in contact with Camp Morant, who claims the gun the 23-year-old Grizzlies star was brandishing in an Instagram Live video May 14 was a game.
Jordan also said the league plans to issue Morant with a lengthy suspension anyway.
“[NBA commissioner] Jordan said, “Adam Silver is still going through the suspension, it looks like it should be 30 games though.” [NBA] He knew it was a toy gun.”
This comes after Silver recently said he had “revealed” more information about the incident.
Morant has found himself in trouble on a number of occasions over the past twelve months.
In March, he made headlines for brandishing a gun during a broadcast on his Instagram account while at a Denver-area strip club after losing to the eventual Western Conference champion Nuggets.
The NBA eventually suspended him for eight games before he returned and finished the season without incident. The Grizzlies’ season ended with a five-game loss to the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Then, the second incident with a gun — or, as it is now alleged, with a fake gun — occurred on a friend’s live broadcast.
The star player has been at the center of a number of other off-field incidents over the past year.
He was accused of hitting a teen and brandishing a gun during a pickup basketball game in the 2022 season.
Morant and his entourage were also accused of threatening a mall security guard in Memphis.
Morant, an All-Star in 2022, has agreed to a five-year contract extension ahead of the 2022-23 season worth about $194 million.
He could lose a significant portion of his salary in 2023-24 if the NBA decides to suspend him without pay.
