toy gun

Ja Morant Proved Gun Was Fake After Second Livestream Incident

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Ja Morant will be suspended for 25 games during the 2023-24 NBA season. Around three times the length of his suspension in March, the revealed punishment is in line with most expectations. However, this means that the Grizzlies will likely be without Morant until early December. In the wake of the suspension news, Morant issued a statement apologizing for his actions and promising to be better. However, his apology has been met with a degree of skepticism from some people.

Prior to his suspension, Morant’s representatives attempted to mitigate the punishment. Sources told Claudia Jordan of The Breakfast Club that the gun Morant was seen with on May 14 was a toy. Furthermore, these representatives claimed that the NBA had been provided evidence that the gun was fake. That evidence has now been made public.

Morant Filmed Video Showing Fake Gun

In a new video released by TMZ, Morant is seen lighting candles in his home with a gun-shaped lighter. This is reportedly the same “gun” that Morant flashed during the May 14 live stream that got him suspended. Morant reportedly made the video in response to family members asking him why he had flashed a gun on Instagram Live once again. Morant at no point argued that the gun wasn’t real before his representatives spoke with Jordan. Furthermore, Morant went as far as to apologize for the incident after the Grizzlies suspended him in May.

However, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has already broken down why the gun’s authenticity didn’t matter to the league. Silver laid out his reasoning while appearing on The Dan Patrick Show. “Taking a gun, live streaming it without getting into gun issues in terms of the propriety of owning guns and the use of guns. I think everyone agrees that gun safety is critically important and that guns aren’t toys. It’s something that I’m thinking a lot about because, again, I’m not going to get into specifics about the investigation. But in fact, if you’re live streaming something to the world that looks exactly like a gun and in a frankly reckless manner, should it matter whether or not it’s a real gun?”

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Ja Morant Toy Gun Claims Addressed By NBA Commissoner

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Ja Morant is still awaiting to his punishment for a May 13 live stream in which he was seen flashing a gun while driving around Memphis. Commissioner Adam Silver, who was “shocked” by the video, has refused to disclose Morant’s punishment until the conclusion of the NBA Finals. However, the suspension is expected to be lengthy. Many pundits believe Morant will not only be punished for his actions, but also for seemingly rebuking the league. Morant was briefly suspended for a similar incident in March but preached reform and contrition after returning to the court.

However, a report from Claudia Jordan of The Breakfast Club has added a new twist to the saga. Sources from within Morant’s camp told Jordan that the gun Morant was seen with was a toy gun. Furthermore, the sources claimed that the NBA is aware the gun was fake. However, they allege that the NBA is still preparing to hand down a suspension in the range of 30 games. Now the NBA has fired back about these allegations through Commissioner Adam Silver.

Adam Silver Dismisses Significant Of Gun’s Authenticity

Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Silver made it very clear where he stood on the new claims from Morant’s camp. “It’s interesting,” Silver said. “The very issue for Ja, certainly in the first incident, was treating a gun as a toy. That’s what we’re talking about and that’s what I think the danger is to society. Taking a gun, live streaming it without getting into gun issues in terms of the propriety of owning guns and the use of guns. I think everyone agrees that gun safety is critically important and that guns aren’t toys. “It’s something that I’m thinking a lot about because, again, I’m not going to get into specifics about the investigation. But in fact, if you’re live streaming something to the world that looks exactly like a gun and in a frankly reckless manner, should it matter whether or not it’s a real gun?”

It’s clear that the intention of Morant’s camp was to try and sway public opinion. By claiming the gun was fake, they were attempting to downplay the severity of what Morant did. However, that has backfired spectacularly thanks to this collected response from Silver. A basic rule of PR is don’t tee up your detractors. Furthermore, this saga should become a textbook example of what not to do. Silver put his, and by extension the NBA’s, foot down and the latest claims from Ja Morant’s camp may have done more harm than good to his pending case.

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Ja Morant’s Gun Was Allegedly Fake But Suspension Still Expected

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The fate of Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant remains unknown. On May 14, Morant was suspended by the Grizzlies after a video of him flashing a gun on Instagram Live went viral. Despite Morant apologizing for the incident, Commissioner Adam Silver expressed “shock” at the video. Furthermore, Silver announced that Morant’s punishment would be withheld until after the NBA Finals.

The incident has completely altered the trajectory of Morant’s career. He has been widely condemned for the incident. Furthermore, police in Tennessee performed a wellness check at Morant’s residence after a cryptic and worrying Instagram post. Elsewhere, Kendrick Perkins suggested that Morant could be better served with a move out of Memphis. Now, Morant’s team is throwing a Hail Mary.

Morant’s Team Claims The Gun Was Fake

Sources within Ja Morant’s camp are claiming that the gun Morant was seen with is in fact fake. These allegations were first reportedly by The Breakfast Club‘s Claudia Jordan. “The relative in the car in the back seat had a toy gun, not real, and was playing around with it and passed it [to Morant] and that got caught on the Live. The NBA has the video and allegedly, the gun looks extremely fake, obviously a toy gun. But according to my source, allegedly, Adam Silver is still going to go through with the suspension, [which is] looking like it’s going to be about 30 games.” However, the news has not been met with much sympathy online. The Breakfast Club panel questioned why the fake gun narrative was only being brought up now.

As previously mentioned, Morant apologized three days after the footage went viral. However, he never previously mentioned the gun being fake or a toy. Furthermore, it’s likely that the news is being leaked in order to try and sway public opinion in favor of Morant. The thinking likely is that public outcry with this new information could say the NBA. However, as many people have noted after the news broke, it doesn’t matter if the gun is fake or not. Morant goaded the NBA with his actions, forcing the league’s hand if they wanted to retain any sort of credibility. At the end of the day, fake or not, Morant is being punished on principle, not because of his specific actions.

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