Ja Morant has something new to add to his list of woes.
The Memphis Grizzlies announced on Saturday that they have suspended their star guard Morant for one game. The official release cited “conduct detrimental to the team” for Morant’s suspension.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported shortly thereafter that Morant’s suspension came as a result of a confrontation with Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Following Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Iisalo reportedly challenged Morant’s leadership and effort in a postgame exchange, to which Morant then responded in a tone deemed inappropriate.
Memphis lost Friday to the Lakers by a final score of 117-112 in an NBA Cup game that was played in front of their home crowd at FedEx Arena in Memphis, Tenn. Morant finished with just eight points on 3/14 shooting during the game (including 0/6 on three-pointers).
One photo from the fourth quarter of the contest showed Morant looking completely checked out on the team during a timeout huddle. He also then appeared to throw shade in his postgame interview with reporters, simply telling them to “ask the coaching staff” for went wrong against the Lakers.
The 26-year-old All-Star Morant, who is still signed with the Grizzlies through 2028, was reported earlier this year to be at odds with the team. Part of Morant’s supposed frustration is said to have come from the offensive system of Iisalo, who was promoted from Grizzlies assistant to head coach after Taylor Jenkins was fired in March.
Meanwhile, Morant is no stranger to discipline, having been suspended multiple times in the past by the NBA for flashing weapons on social media. Now Morant is being suspended by his own team, which will cost him roughly $272,000 based on his salary of about $39.4 million this season.
