Police do welfare check on Grizzlies star Ja Morant following cryptic Instagram posts
Following a series of cryptic, startling Instagram stories, police in Tennessee performed a welfare check on Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, determining that he was OK, according to TMZ. The young point guard has been under intense scrutiny for his off-court behavior in recent months.
TMZ reported that the Shelby County Sheriff’s department performed the welfare check and found Morant to be OK. The officers relayed that he indicated his is “taking a break from social media.”
“He is fine,” a spokesperson said, according to TMZ.
Morant posted a series of Instagram stories on Wednesday, sparking concern among observers. The posts consisted of four pictures posted to his Instagram story. In the first three, he offered well wishes to each of his parents and his daughter, Kaari.
Morant’s first story was a picture of his mom watching him warm up with the Grizzlies, with the caption “love ya ma.” The next story said “love ya pops,” with a photo of his dad giving him a hug at a game. Morant then posted a picture of him and his daughter with the caption “you da greatest babygirl love ya.”
The final picture was Morant giving a postgame interview on the court, captioned “bye.”
He has since deleted the posts from his Instagram account.
Morant is currently facing his second suspension in three months for flashing a gun. His most recent suspension came after he was shown with a gun on Instagram live while riding with a friend in a car. The incident occurred on May 13, and the Grizzlies suspended him from all team activities the following day.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that Morant is facing a lengthy suspension. Morant was first suspended in March for flashing a gun during an Instagram live video.
A former NBA star who got in trouble for guns had a message for Morant
Morant has received plenty of backlash after his latest incident, including from former NBA star Gilbert Arenas. Arenas recently called Morant out for his poor choices.
“What do you want your legacy to be?” Arenas asked on his podcast, via TMZ. “I did 99 things right. I did one thing wrong. Everybody remembers the one thing. No matter how many championships, how many scoring titles you win. They’re going to remember this moment in this time.”
Arenas knows what it’s like to have external situations affect his on-court, as he faced a gun charge in 2010. Even after his career, he was arrested in 2013 for alleged possession of illegal fireworks. The only difference? Arenas has seemingly learned his lesson.