Ja Morant's Instagram posts left NBA players 'uncomfortable'
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Ja Morant’s cryptic Instagram posts on Wednesday raised plenty of concerns around the NBA.
On Wednesday morning, the Memphis Grizzlies star posted pictures of himself with his family on his Instagram story, with the final image captioned with “bye.”
He later deleted the posts.
Police performed a welfare check on the 23-year-old, who told TMZ that Morant was “fine” and the he is “taking a break from social media.”
According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the incident — the latest in a string of odd behavior involving the high-scoring guard — left many around the league “fearful” and “uncomfortable.”
“I for one can tell you that I called the NBA league office; they had no idea what was going on,” Smith said on FanDuel’s “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Wednesday. “They appeared and sounded a little fearful. There’s a few players throughout the league that I contacted. They were uncomfortable.
“A couple of ex-teammates of his who used to be on the Memphis Grizzlies that know a thing or two about Ja Morant — his habits, the company he keeps, the pressures that lie on his shoulders, they were concerned. And, evidently, so was the police.”
Morant is currently suspended from all team activities by the Grizzlies after he was seen waving a gun in an Instagram Live video on May 14, weeks after he was suspended by the NBA for appearing the brandish a weapon in a video filmed at a Glendale, Colo. strip club.
“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said in a statement after the most recent gun-involved video. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
Wednesday’s Instagram post follows several high-profile run-ins, including members of his crew allegedly shining a laser at members of the Pacers’ traveling party and getting into it with Fox Sports host Shannon Sharpe at halftime of a game.
He is also accused of threatening a Memphis mall security guard and brandishing a weapon after an altercation with a teen during a pick-up game at his house in separate incident last summer.
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