This suspension, "without payment of salary" is retroactive, said the body. The back, who had been sidelined until further notice by his club and has already missed five games, will be able to return to the Memphis team next Monday, on the occasion of the reception of the Dallas Mavericks.

In the early morning hours of March 4, Morant, 23, one of the league's most prominent players, posted a livestream, in which he briefly held a handgun at a nightclub in Glendale, Colorado.

"I realize what I have to lose... It's just about being more responsible, smarter and avoiding making bad decisions," Morant said in an interview with ESPN.

The local police had opened an investigation and "concluded that no one had been threatened by the firearm and that in fact, no firearm had been found", deciding not to charge the young man.

The latter, without saying how it ended up in his hands, assured that it "did not belong to (him)".

The NBA also conducted its investigation, establishing that Morant "was intoxicated" at the time.

"Based on the information obtained, the league did not conclude that the weapon in question belonged to Morant, that he brought it to the nightclub or that he displayed it beyond a brief period. The investigation also did not establish that he possessed the weapon, while traveling with the team or at an NBA facility.

'Irresponsible conduct'

"Ja's conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous," league boss Adam Silver said after a meeting at the NBA's New York offices with Morant, also attended by the director of the players' union (NBPA).

"It also has serious consequences given the considerable influence he wields, especially on young fans who admire him. He expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior," he added.

Morant, who had apologized in a statement the day after the fact, adding that he wanted to "get help to manage (his) stress and (his) general well-being", integrated a psychological support program in Florida for a few days.

"Ja made it clear to me that he had learned from this incident and understood that his obligations and responsibility to the Grizzlies and the entire NBA community went far beyond his performance on the court," Silver concluded.

This incident is the latest in a series involving Morant, accused of punching a 12-year-old in his home "13 to 17 times" in July 2022. His agent claimed at the time that he had acted in self-defence.

Selected second overall in the draft in 2019 by Memphis, the back has since continued to confirm on the courts the great hopes placed in him, both by his spectacular game with dunks that regularly make the rounds of the web and earned him two consecutive selections to the All-Star Game, and by his statistical performances.

This season, he averaged 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6 rebounds per game, contributing greatly to the excellent season of his team, currently 2nd in the Western Conference and promised to the playoffs.

© 2023 AFP