By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
What a way to reintroduce yourself, Ja Morant.
After serving his 25-game suspension due to a series of off-court misconduct, Morant kicked off his 2023 NBA debut on a high note after steering the Memphis Grizzlies over the New Orleans Pelicans, 115-113, last December 20, 2023.
Morant capped off his stellar NBA return with the game-winning floater while also helping the Grizzlies complete the come-from-behind victory after going down by as much as 19 points.
With 9.6 seconds left and the ball game tied at 113-all, Morant caught the ball from the backcourt and took Herbert Jones in an isolation situation.
After putting Jones in skates when he got away with a crafty spin move to get to the rim, Morant sealed the deal with a right-handed floater to give Memphis the much-needed win.
Despite being absent for almost two months, it was as if Morant didn’t leave the NBA and dropped 34 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Morant finished the game with an efficient 12/24 shooting from the field and only missed two free throw attempts out of his 12 total shots from the charity stripe.
The flashy point guard didn’t have a fluid start in the game as the New Orleans defense caused him trouble in finding his rhythm and attacking pace.
However, Morant was quick to redeem himself and started to cash buckets in the final minutes of the second quarter established his confidence in the whole second half.
In retrospect, the NBA slapped Morant with a 25-game suspension after his second gun-flashing incident on Instagram Live that happened last May 14, 2023.
In an Instagram Live video by his friend, Morant was seen flashing a gun as they were jamming to a song inside a vehicle.
The Memphis Grizzlies organization then quickly received a notice and immediately handed Morant suspension from all team activities pending league review.
Before this, Morant received disciplinary actions from the Memphis organization after going live on Instagram holding a firearm after their game against the Denver Nuggets.
Aside from his gun issue, Morant was also under fire when he allegedly hit a teenager during a pickup game in his house while threatening a security member of a mall located in Memphis.
Last but not the least, Morant’s escorts made noise when they allegedly threatened some staff members of the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana side shared that Morant’s entourage aimed a gun with a red laser toward them after Memphis’ 112-100 win.
Morant was quick to respond following the NBA’s decision and said sorry to the thousands of fans that look up to him as a role model.
“I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise,” Morant wrote in his statement.
