Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, reported this Thursday that the result of the investigation into Ja Morant, star of the Memphis Grizzlies, for his video with a weapon published on social networks will be known after the closing of the Finals, which start in Denver with the duel between the Nuggets and the Miami Heat.
Silver stressed that the focus should be right now on the Nuggets and the Heat and in a Final that will be broadcast in 214 countries and in 60 languages ​​and that the time will come to make decisions on the Morant case.
“We are looking at the individual history of the player and the seriousness of the conduct, are factors that are taken into account. Due to time, we made the decision that it would be incorrect for these teams, in the middle of the series, to announce the results,” Silver said at the press conference prior to the start of the Finals.
“He is suspended indefinitely by the Grizzlies. We think it best to put him on hold momentarily and shortly after the close of the Finals we will announce the outcome of the investigation,” he added.
He also considered that the first eight-game suspension inflicted on the player, who had already appeared in a video on social networks in a Colorado nightclub weeks before the second case, was not too light.
“To me, at the time, an eight-game suspension seemed very serious. I think he had understood that it was about his future conduct. We want to be correct, she seemed correct to us at the time. In the video it looks like she did it again. We don’t know what it will take to change her behavior,” she said.
“He seems like a good boy to me. He is young, and when we complete the process, we will take the disciplinary measure,” he concluded.
Silver reminded Bill RussellNBA legend, eleven-time champion with the Boston Celtics, who He passed away last August at the age of 88, shaking up the world of basketball.
He also considered it appropriate that the minimum number of games is 65 for a player to be eligible for the final awards of the season, such as the ‘All NBA’ team, among others.
A third of the players on that team would not have been eligible this year if that rule were in place, and Silver said that move would encourage many players to compete more.