NBA: Ja Morant ‘fine’ after Instagram post sparks concern

FILE–Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies. Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s cryptic Instagram posts prompted a welfare check by police in Tennessee, who found the NBA All-Star to be “fine,” the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Wednesday.

“Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies checked on Ja Morant at his residence this morning and he is fine,” a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told the newspaper. “He advised us that he is taking a break from social media.”

Morant had posted several photos on his Instagram story on Tuesday referencing his mother, father, daughter and sister, then posted a photo of himself being interviewed after a game with a caption that said “bye.”

He deleted the messages shortly after posting them.

Morant hadn’t posted on Instagram since May 9, and he had last tweeted on May 13.

On May 14, the Grizzlies suspended Morant from all team activities after he appeared to flash a gun during an Instagram Live session on the account of his friend Davonte Pack.

The NBA is investigating the video and could hand the All-Star point guard, who was the NBA’s 2020 rookie of the year, a significant suspension to start next season.

The NBA suspended Morant for eight games in March for conduct detrimental to the league after he streamed a video of himself holding a gun while intoxicated at a Denver nightclub.

After that suspension Morant told reporters he had received therapy to help him manage stress, describing treatment he had received as “an ongoing process”.

After the Grizzlies were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers, Morant said he needed to be more disciplined.

The 23-year-old is being sued by a high school student who accused Morant of punching him during a pickup basketball game at Morant’s home in July of 2022. No charges were brought in that incident, in which the player’s agent said he was acting in self defense.

Morant was in the headlines in February when the NBA investigated allegations by the Indiana Pacers that the player’s entourage “aggressively confronted” members of their traveling party, possibly pointing a red laser at them, after a game in Memphis.