The NBA announced on Friday that it suspended Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for 25 games to start the 2023-24 season because of conduct detrimental to the leaguey.

The Grizzlies suspended Morant from team activities May 14 after a video on social media circulated showing the All-Star brandishing what the NBA called a “firearm.” But a new video circulating online, shows that the gun was a fake.

Media Take Out spoke with a person in Ja’s camp who told us that the gun incident was just a PRANK – between friends, that was unfortunately captured on video.

According to a member of the Morant family, who spoke exclusively to Media Take Out, Ja did not have a gun … nor did he ever mean to have one.

The insider explained, “[Ja’s friend] played a prank on him, by showing him a lighter that was shaped like a gun.”

“Everyone around Ja knows that he no longer allowed guns around him, so it was a sort of a prank,” Ja’s family member added.

The insider told Media Take Out that Ja laughed off the incident, after inspecting the toy gun and making sure it wasn’t real.

“What you saw in the video [that got the NBA player suspended] was just the split second when Ja was holding the toy,” the insider continued.

Media Take Out is also told that the NBA knows the gun is a toy, and so do many of the commentators that have harshly criticized Ja – including ESPNs Stephen A Smith.

Despite this, here is the reasoning for the league pushing out such a harsh response.

The NBA wrote, “Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”

The NBA suspended Morant for eight games following a similar incident in March, when he was seen on Instagram Live holding up a handgun while intoxicated at a Denver-area club.

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“I was on bull shit in college. I got kicked out for pistol whipping a n-gga. (Which I don’t condone) lucky I had a plan B and C. Ja don’t be me you can’t rap!!! Lol as you can see its a lil blurry but it was still the set,” said Cam.

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Cam has previously defended Morant.

“He comes from a town of like 3000 people. What y’all expect? Y’all gave him $200 million. I just said a town with 3000 people. You expect him to be responsible? Nah, we’re tripping then… That’s magic,” he previously said while addressing the controversy.

Morant has been suspended twice for brandishing a firearm on social media. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver indicated they might be seeking to help the young baller instead of kicking him out of the league.

“He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior. Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court.”

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“In terms of the timing, we’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information since I was asked about the situation. We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we made the decision — and I believe the players association agrees with us — that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of this series to announce the results of that investigation,” he told reporters, adding that a decision will be announced, “shortly after the conclusion of the Finals.”

Morant has been suspended twice for brandishing a firearm on social media. Silver indicated they may be seeking to help the young baller.

“He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior. Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court.”

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“I don’t foresee an apology soon,” a dancer told New York Post. “He’s a boy. He’s clearly begging for attention and trying to be a baller. He should be banned from all clubs and get his NBA career taken away given our country’s current circumstances on gun violence.”

Morant was suspended for eight games for flashing the weapon in the strip club. He was suspended again this month for flashing his weapon again on social media.

Morant apologized for the backlash.

“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said. “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.”

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“We got some idiots, some fools, some jackasses on television that really just piss me off, talking about ‘Ja should make a stand,’ saying ‘he didn’t break any laws, he didn’t do anything wrong, we’re in a state where you can carry your gun.’ Those guys are just…they’re just freaking idiots,” 60-year-old Barkley said on Inside the NBA.

Several celebrities have spoken out in defense of Morant, as have his fans, but Barkley says he is throwing his career away and should walk away if that’s how he wants to behave.

He continued, “It pisses me off when I hear guys say that. Man, when you’re making $100 million a year to play sports, your life changes. There are certain rules and regulations you have to live by, plain and simple, you can’t do stupid stuff, that’s the trade off. Now, if you wanna do all that stuff and give all that money back, more power to you, you can make that stance. … But you can’t make money on the NBA doing that stuff.”

Y’all agree?

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“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said in the statement. “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.”

Back in March, he was suspended for eight games for flashing his weapon on social media while at a club. After the incident, he apologized on social media to his fans.

“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” Morant said. “I feel like in the past we didn’t know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now.”

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“I think God blessed Ja Morant, man,” Mensa told TMZ Sports. “I pray that that brother gets it together and he figures it out because he’s too brilliant and so talented. He’s got a gift, he’s got a real gift.”

He continued, “So, I don’t want to see him have to go down that path because he’s so good. I think God blessed him. I’m not gonna say anything to disparage him. There’s enough people doing that.”

The first time around, Morant claimed the weapon was not his and apologized for being reckless. He recent apologized again for his actions.

“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said in the statement. “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.”

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Morant was suspended for the second time this year after flashing guns on social media.

“That man is trying hard to go play for Turkey or China or Serbia [and] Montenegro. He’s trying hard to get kicked out the NBA. Those guys that’s with you, they not your people, Ja. They don’t care. This is a problem we have with our community. Becoming famous. Becoming celebrities. Because the people that’s around you, they like the girls watching. They love the lifestyle. But they not you,” says Joe.

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Morant has been suspended but the suspension does not have an end date.

“They didn’t dribble the basketball in the snow on Christmas trying to figure out the Kobe moves or the Jordan moves,” he said. “They didn’t put in the work like you. And guess what? If you get thrown out of the NBA, these are the same guys that are going to say, ‘Yo, he wasn’t sh-t anyway. It is what it is.’ Ja, these are not your people. Anybody telling you, or pointing you in the direction of ignorance is not with you.”

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Something must really be wrong with NBA star Ja Morant. Earlier this year, the NBA star was suspended for posting a video of himself inside a Denver nightclub, waving a firearm.

Well Media Take Out has learned that the baller appears to not have learned his lesson.

Yesterday he was on IG Live driving around Memphis with a few of his homies, and he appeared to be waving a handgun. Here’s the video:

And here’s a screenshot showing him with the firearm:

Now before we go too crazy, Memphis is in Tennessee, an open carry state. In Memphis is it is perfectly legal to have a firearm, even outside. So it doesn’t appear that the superstar basketball player is doing anything illegal.

Ja is a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019.

Morant was only lightly recruited by NCAA Division I programs and unranked by recruiting services, despite having been named All-Region Most Valuable Player three times and earning All-State honors at Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. Nevertheless, he made an immediate impact at Murray State University, earning first-team all-conference honors in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) as a freshman. He had a breakout sophomore season; it saw him win OVC Player of the Year as well as lead the NCAA in assists. Also as a sophomore, Morant became the first player in NCAA history to average 20-plus points and 10-plus assists per game for a single season.

Morant was selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft and named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020. He was named to his first NBA All Star Game in 2022 as a starter, and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award at the conclusion of the season, Morant was also selected to his first All-NBA Team in 2022.

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During the pickup game, Ja Morant was accused by the teen of repeatedly punching him in the head. The incident happened at Morant’s house, and the teenager told police that Ja later went into his home and returned with a gun visible in his waistband.

When the police arrived, Ja told officers in an interview that he was acting in self-defense after the boy threw a basketball at his head, though the NBA star acknowledged, “I swung first.”

Well now Media Take Out was able to obtain the police body cam footage, which showed the 17 year old boy explaining exactly what happened, and it’s pretty damning.

Ja needs to pay that boy for what he did, and move on with his life.

Listen:

The post 17 Yr Old Teen Explains How NBA Star Ja Morant JUMPED HIM … On VIDEO!! (Ja Gotta Pay That Boy) appeared first on Media Take Out.

As well as the suspension, Morant was ordered to join a counseling program.

“I don’t have an alcohol problem,” said Morant. “[I’ve] never had an alcohol problem. I went there for counseling to learn how to manage stress and cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I’ve tried to deal with it before that cause me to make mistakes.”

The league officially suspended Morant for eight games due to a video he posted of himself holding a gun in a nightclub in Colorado. He says he wanted an “escape.” Morant has had several brushes with the law.

He said he is now focused on basketball.

“Just being more responsible, smarter, that’s pretty much it for me,” Morant said, via The Athletic. “Obviously, you know, I made mistakes in the past that caused a lot of negative attention, not only to me, but my family as well, my team, the organization, and I’m completely sorry for that. So, you know, my job now is, like I said, being more responsible, smarter, and don’t cause any [more off-court controversy] anymore.”

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“It’s crazy to say this but Charleston White was absolutely correct. The music we listen to and how that is the new brand. The music say I keep pipe, I do this and I do that. That turns into, ‘I need a pipe.’ A pipe meaning gun,” he told TMZ.

Morant has been suspended for 8 games for flashing a gun in a nightclub. He says it wasn’t even his weapon.

“You know, Hip Hop is very influential,” Rule said. “I’ve done things in my youth because of Hip Hop. Ya know, Redman made ‘How To Roll A Blunt,’ we started smoking blunts. Snoop made ‘Gin & Juice,’ we started drinking gin and juice. So Hip Hop is influential; I’m not gonna say it’s not. How far people take it is what it is.”

Y’all think he’s right?

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According to TMZ, the rapper’s new song “Mo Up Front” was going to be played in Ja Morant’s Powerade “What 50% More Means” ad campaign for NCAA March Madness.

Powerade has pulled the campaign in the wake of the Morant’s problems. Sources allege Choppa is disappointed in the company’s decision but he is still a fan of Morant and the Grizzlies.

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The league officially suspended Morant for eight games due to a video he posted of himself holding a gun in a nightclub in Colorado. He says he wanted an “escape.” Morant has had several brushes with the law.

“The gun wasn’t mine,” Morant told Jalen Rose. “It’s not who I am. I don’t condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I’ve made a bad mistake. I can see the image that I’ve painted over myself with my recent mistakes. In the future I’m gonna show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change this narrative.”

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And now we get a glimpse of what was in the mind of Ja, at least when he was a young man.

The NBA great grew up in South Carolina, and was a HUGE fan of drill rap – his favorite artist was Chief Keef.

Now before you go CRAZY about these posts – remember two things, first these are posts by a 13 year old kid. Second, the captions – while they seem kinda crazy, are Chief Reef lyrics. Just because the kid posted it – doesn’t mean that’s the type of life he was living.

Also, Media Take Out confirm that Ja has never been arrested, or had behavioral incidents while in school.

Here are some of his posts, that are going viral.

Ja is a player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019.

Morant was only lightly recruited by NCAA Division I programs and unranked by recruiting services, despite having been named All-Region Most Valuable Player three times and earning All-State honors at Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. Nevertheless, he made an immediate impact at Murray State University, earning first-team all-conference honors in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) as a freshman. He had a breakout sophomore season; it saw him win OVC Player of the Year as well as lead the NCAA in assists. Also as a sophomore, Morant became the first player in NCAA history to average 20-plus points and 10-plus assists per game for a single season.

Morant was selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft and named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020. He was named to his first NBA All Star Game in 2022 as a starter, and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award at the conclusion of the season, Morant was also selected to his first All-NBA Team in 2022.

The post NBA Star Ja Morant’s Instagram From When He Was Just 13 LEAKED … We Was A WILD KID!! appeared first on Media Take Out.

The league officially suspended Morant for eight games due to a video he posted of himself holding a gun in a nightclub in Colorado. He says he wanted an “escape.” Morant has had several brushes with the law.

“It’s the music we listen to is real big what the rappers are [saying]. It’s crazy to say this but Charleston White was absolutely correct. The music we listen to and how that is the new brand. The music say I keep pipe, I do this and I do that. That turns into, ‘I need a pipe.’ A pipe meaning gun,” Beverly said on his podcast.

“I think it’s the music, man. I ain’t bashing the music cus I’m listening to that shit too. I’m not up at 9 a.m. listening to it though, I’m gameday listening to it. It’s not part of my life. It’s a part of a lot of people I know though, so I can relate. My homie used to do that, my homie got locked up for doing that, or my homie in jail for doing that or my homie died from doing that.”

Morant claims he did not own the weapon.

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“The gun wasn’t mine,” Morant told Jalen Rose. “It’s not who I am. I don’t condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I’ve made a bad mistake. I can see the image that I’ve painted over myself with my recent mistakes. In the future I’m gonna show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change this narrative.”

The league has officially suspended Morant for eight games due to a video he posted of himself holding a gun in a nightclub in Colorado. He says he wanted an “escape.”

“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” Morant said. “I feel like in the past we didn’t know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now.”

Has Morant screwed up his career already?

The post Ja Morant: The Gun WASN’T MINE!! appeared first on Media Take Out.

NBA star Ja Morant is in the midst of a pretty difficult time in his life … and he’s turning to the one person who can help him change everything, Jesus Christ.

Media Take Out confirmed with multiple sources close to the NBA baller that Ja was in church yesterday, and the $200M NBA baller walked humbly to the front of the small church and re-committed himself to his Christian faith.

A person close to the Morant family explained, “Ja grew up in the church, and he knows that any time that he needs strength, he can turn to Jesus.”

We’re told that Ja is staying in a small South Carolina town, near where he grew up – to reconnect with his family, and his faith.

Last week there were reports that Ja may be entering a rehab and substance abuse facility. But Media Take Out learned that’s only half true.

While Ja is working on getting his drinking under control, he’s not in rehab. The insider said, “Ja is not in rehab, he’s in church.”

According to the family members we’ve spoken to, the NBA star is working – through Christian fellowship – to get back on the right path.

One family member told Media Take Out, “Ja was never as bad as the media is making him out to be.”

“Now that he sees the evils out there [in the media], he’s going to come back covered in the armor of Christ,” she added.

Media Take Out has covered the often unfair criticism of Ja by the mainstream media. He’s never been charged with breaking any laws, and is licensed to carry firearms, as are those in his security team.

But we’re told that Ja, being a young rich Black man, now realizes that he has to conduct himself differently. While it’s not fair …. it’s the world that we live in.

Glad to see Ja turning things around …. it’s going to be interesting to see how the NBA will deal with the baller’s Christian faith.

Two years ago, December 29, 2020. Ja posted a prayer on Twitter, after he was injured. This is what he posted:

“Prayer For Today: Dear God, I bring to You my burdens. You know my situation. I can’t make it without You. Comfort my heart, give me strength and help me carry on. Amen.”

Minutes later, Morant also re-tweeted a Bible verse someone had posted in reference to his injury and rehab.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 12:24,”

Ja wrote in a later tweet, “I know God is working, so I smile.”

The post EXCLUSIVE: Ja Morant Re-Commits Himself To JESUS Christ At Church Yesterday … He’s Born Again! appeared first on Media Take Out.

“Ja Morant always got his father there. Instead of his father enjoying the scene and getting drunk at the game, he better school his son,” said Joe.

“Bro, you did not come this far to f-ck your sh-t up. Your family has to really be your family and talk to you. I hope somebody gets him a copy of this because I don’t make money off Ja Morant. I’m just telling you the truth.”

Fat Joe then addressed Morant directly.

“There’s two ways this could go: you could keep it real, which is the dumbest sh-t I ever heard in my life and go broke and get the f-ck out the NBA because they’re not going for a NBA player pistol whipping dudes…they not going for that. I don’t care how nice he is, he will be playing in Serbia-Montenegro. And his father who likes to go like this and the three pointer at every game, he better love the game in Turkey.”

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“STOP @RealSkipBayless Don’t build the narrative that he’s a real gang member SMH HE NOT NO CRIP HE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER who made a mistake,” he tweeted.

Morant is in hot water after flashing a gun on social media while at a strip club in Colorado.

During Monday’s episode of UNDISPUTED, Bayless said:

“They’re asking me, ‘Are you sure he’s not that?’ Like, that’s just who he is, that he is about that life.’ And remember, he’s thrown up the Crips sign, I’ve seen him throw it up two or three times, I’ve probably missed some other times. What does that mean? Does that mean he wants to associate with the Crips? Or he got initiated by the Crips? Or he has a dream of being a Crip? I don’t know. I’m just throwing this out.”

He continued: “Are we missing the boat here that that’s just who he’s been from the start? And we keep saying, ‘No, you’re just associated with the wrong people,’ when he’s actually part of the wrong people.”

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Now Media Take Out is hearing reports that Ja may be headed to rehab, to get himself straight.

The NBA star is reportedly checking himself into a rehab facility, to help him overcome what is being described as an “addiction” to alcohol, in particular Hennessy and expensive tequila, Media Take Out has learned.

The Memphis Grizzlies suspended Ja for two games, after the NBA baller was seen on IG holding a legal registered gun, which belonged to one of his security team, Media Take Out confirmed.

Firearms are legal in the United States, and constitutionally protected. And the states where Ja was seen with firearms, Colorado and Tennessee are both. In both Tennessee and Colordo, a person is not require to obtain a license or register in order to purchase or own a gun, or to hold one.

So Ja didn’t break any laws, despite what irresponsible members of the press are reporting.

Nevertheless, it still wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And the NBA baller is hoping to get himself straight before returning to play ball.

We wish the best to Ja and his family – who are very active in his life and are working to help him get through this minor setback.

Here’s what is being reported:

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