Grizzlies lose Ja Morant for season with injury after suspension return
Ja Morant’s season is done before it ever really got started.
The Grizzlies announced late Monday night that Morant was out for the season after he suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder during a training session on Saturday.
After an MRI exam was done on the Grizzlies star, it revealed an underlying labral tear.
Morant will undergo season-ending surgery and the team expects him to make a full recovery for next season.
The Grizzlies star tweeted out a blue heart emoji after the news came out.
The injury limits Morant to just nine total games this year after a 25-game suspension he served to start the year after he brandished a firearm on an Instagram Live in May 2023, which followed a troubling few months of behavior — including a previous incident with a gun on the social media platform.
Morant had been given an eight-game suspension the first time around and there had been growing concern about him off the court.
The talented point guard had only returned to the court from his most recent suspension last month in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, where he was booed by the Smoothie King Center crowd.
He was given a much friendlier greeting when he played in Memphis for the first time since returning.
Through his nine games this season, Morant has averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 assists, while shooting 47.1% from the field.
One of his best games in his brief return was his first game back in NOLA where he hit a buzzer-beating shot to win the game for the Grizzlies and Morant scored a season-high 34 points.
The Grizzlies lost Morant at a rough time with the team sitting 13th in the Western Conference with a 13-23 record.
They face the Mavericks on Tuesday in Dallas.
