Ja Morant, the franchise player of the Memphis Grizzlies, will serve a 25-game suspension for a second gun-related incident during an Instagram Live, the NBA announced on Friday.
It is a devastating blow to a Grizzlies team that is seemingly knocking on the door of championship contention, as it is hard to imagine them winning the majority of those games without him.
At the same time, this discipline will have drastic financial implications for the 23-year-old.
Morant signed his first big NBA contract extension last summer, and it will take effect for next season, but unfortunately for him, he will miss just over $300,000 for every game he has been docked.
As NBA analyst Bobby Marks pointed out, that means the All-Star will end up losing $7.6 million.
The 25-game Ja Morant suspension will cost $7.6M.
$304,545 for every game missed
Morant is entering year 1 of a $194M rookie max extension that he signed last July.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 16, 2023
Some may think that with the insane amount of money NBA stars make, $7.6 million will merely be a drop in the bucket when it is all said and done, but the financial implications of Morant’s suspension could go beyond his NBA contract.
He is apparently at risk of losing at least one of his corporate endorsements, which includes a large contract with sneaker giant Nike.
Morant is one of the NBA’s best and most exciting stars, and as such, many fans, especially very young fans, look up to him.
That makes him a role model, even though many feel athletes and celebrities shouldn’t be role models, and that’s one thing that concerns people about these gun-related incidents.
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NBA Players Association Reacts To Ja Morant’s Suspension