Ja Morant gun video: Grizzlies star will miss two games after brandishing weapon on Instagram Live

A tough week for Ja Morant has only gotten worse.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Grizzlies star appeared to be brandishing a gun while filming himself at a nightclub.

The video was broadcast to Morant’s nine million followers on Instagram Live. Clips of the incident quickly made the rounds on social media after being released. Since then he has deactivated his Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Morant released a statement on Saturday apologizing for the incident.

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” he wrote. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I will take some time to get help and work on learning better ways to manage stress and my overall wellbeing.”

Weapon video by Ja Morant

Below is a look at the video courtesy of Clutch Points.

The video was captured sometime Friday night after the Grizzlies lost 113-97 to the Nuggets in Denver. Morant recorded 27 points and 10 assists in 33 minutes during that competition.

It is unclear where the video was filmed. The Grizzlies will take on the Clippers Sunday night in Los Angeles. However, they will go there without their Star Point Guard.

On Saturday, the team announced that Morant will be absent from the team for at least two games.

Memphis’ next two games will both be in LA, first against the Clippers and then against the Lakers on Tuesday. After that, they return home to face off against the Warriors on Thursday night. It’s unclear if Morant will be back with the team at this point.

Recent Controversies by Ja Morant

Morant was already embroiled in controversy before the Instagram Live video was posted.

On Wednesday, a Washington Post report alleged that Morant repeatedly punched a teenager in the head and threatened him with a gun during a pickup basketball game at his home. The report also accused him of threatening the security chief at a Memphis mall.

Morant’s agent Jim Tanner denied the allegations in a statement. He claimed his client acted in self-defense.

Morant was also involved in an incident in late January where members of the Pacers organization said a red laser was pointed at them by a car containing Morant and others. Prosecutors said they felt they were in “great danger” during the altercation.

Morant later said one of his friends was banned from home games in Memphis for at least a year after the incident.

Tanner also denied those allegations, saying they were “baseless rumors and gossip” spread “by people motivated to tear down Ja and tarnish his reputation for their own financial gain.”

Morant is in the middle of another excellent season – his fourth in the NBA. The two-time All-Star averages 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game.

But his recent extrajudicial controversy threatens to disrupt both his and the Grizzlies’ seasons — and perhaps even his career as a whole.