Morant named Player of the Week in return from suspension

[December 27, 2023]  By Rory Carroll
 
(Reuters) - Memphis guard Ja Morant was named Western Conference Player of the Week by the NBA on Tuesday after returning from a 25-game suspension to lead the Grizzlies to three straight wins.  

Dec 23, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) goes to the basket against Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Morant's first game of the season came against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 19, where the 24-year-old scored 34 points including a game-winning floater at the buzzer to complete a 24-point comeback.

He tallied 20 points and eight assists in his first home game on Dec. 21 vs. Indiana and posted his first double-double of the season with 30 points and 11 assists on Dec. 23 at Atlanta.

Morant averaged 28 points, nine assists and 5.7 rebounds to help deliver the Grizzlies their first three game winning streak of the year.

Morant was suspended 25 games without pay in June after the league found he had displayed a firearm in a car in a live-streamed video on May 13.

The two-time All-Star was previously suspended for eight games in March after he appeared in another social media video holding a firearm at a nightclub.

League commissioner Adam Silver called his behavior "reckless and irresponsible" at the time of the suspension and said he worried that his young fans could seek to emulate him.

Morant took accountability for his actions after each suspension was announced, apologizing to the NBA, the Grizzlies and the city of Memphis.

The Grizzlies have struggled mightily without their explosive young star this season. The team is currently 9-19, good for 13th in the Western Conference.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in San Francisco; Editing by Michael Perry)

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