Before Ja Morant released his statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared his thoughts regarding Morant’s repeated actions during an episode of ‘NBA Countdown.’
He explained that he believed Morant seemed to take his first suspension from the NBA “incredibly seriously” and was “shocked” to see Morant repeat the same behavior.
“An eight-game suspension was pretty serious, and something that — he at least to me — seemed to take incredibly seriously… We spoke for a long time about — not just the consequences it could have on his career but the safety issues around it. [He] could’ve injured… killed himself, someone else with an act like that…”
Silver explained that he believed Morant shared his concern about setting a better example for the children that look up to him “globally.”
“I, at least, was left with the sense that he was taking this incredibly seriously. So I was shocked when I saw it this weekend — that video. Now, we’re in the process of investigating it, and we’ll figure out exactly what happened to the best we can… I’m assuming the worse but we’ll figure out exactly what happened.”
Silver is not the only one to share his astonished reaction to Morant’s actions. As The Shade Room previously reported, Shannon Sharpe recently explained that he is “disappointed” by those who have defended Morant amid his negative behavior.
While former NBA player Kwame Brown coined a nickname for Morant, “NBA Dumb Boy.”
Additionally, Jalen Rose shared that he feels it’s not the “end” for Morant, and he still has time to “reclaim his decision-making.”