NBPA not happy with 1 aspect of Ja Morant suspension

Feb 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The NBPA issued a response to Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension on Friday, and the players’ union is not happy with commissioner Adam Silver’s handling of the situation.

NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said in a statement that the union sees Morant’s suspension as “excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons” and is inconsistent with previous discipline in similar situations.

“As to the discipline imposed, which keeps him off the court until December and requires some unstated conditions to be met before he can return, we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league,” Tremaglio said. “We will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”

Morant received a 25-game ban for flashing a gun on Instagram Live in May for a second time in three months. The Memphis Grizzlies guard had been suspended for eight games in March for a similar incident.

The NBPA has a duty to operate on behalf of its players, so it is logical that they would come out with some criticism of such a lengthy suspension. Considering the suspension lengths that were supposedly in the cards, Morant may have gotten off easy in the eyes of some.