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More than a month after Ja Morant was last seen on Instagram Live flashing, for the second time since early March, what appeared to be a gun, NBA commissioner Adam Silver finally doled out the league’s latest suspension for the Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard last Friday: 25 games, beginning with the start of the 2023-24 season. Unpaid, of course. Some thought it was “just right” — 41%, according to results of a Daily Memphian poll asking readers what they thought. Some — 32% of 100-plus who responded — deemed it “too much.” That’s perhaps largely based on the NBA’s history of prior suspensions. And it’s perhaps because fans are called fans for a reason. Others — 27% — felt it was “too little.” Totally understandable. Silver didn’t exactly drop the hammer. It’s commendable that he wants Morant to get on the right side of acceptable behavior. But if the commissioner was serious about discouraging similar acts in the future by any player, it would have been at least half a season. This wasn’t the first time this year Morant’s been suspended, remember? The financial impact of sitting out 25 games for Morant: about $7.6 million lost. For a guy scheduled to make $33.3 million in the coming season alone (sans suspension), that’s more like a bruise than a broken bone. The NBA Players Association expressed outrage, calling the punishment “excessive and inappropriate.” Big shock there. Though it’s likely it did so more on behalf of other players who could face league suspension than to back Morant, the union’s response was entirely predictable. As for why Silver took so long, it was partly because the league needed time to gather facts and investigate. It was also partly because Silver didn’t want to disrupt the NBA playoffs, and especially the Finals, with an announcement. Then he apparently wanted to wait until after the Denver Nuggets’ championship parade. In their city. Yet rather than allow postseason play to get all of its due, Silver uncharacteristically and irresponsibly failed to resist the temptation of giving national media members all the sound bites they wanted to keep Morant suspension speculation in the news. Why is all this relevant now? It’s because this is The Daily Memphian’s weekly sports newsletter, and the staff’s coverage of all things Morant highlighted the week’s work. Beat writer Drew Hill delivered reactions from Morant, the league, the Grizzlies, the union and Morant’s biggest sponsor, Nike. Columnist Geoff Calkins weighed in right away. And columnist Chris Herrington looked forward, analyzing in depth the suspension’s potential impact on the Grizzlies’ offseason plans. Beyond Morant news, the staff produced all sorts of interesting mid-June content. Frank Bonner II covered the Memphis Showboats’ season-ending USFL loss to Birmingham, along with news that the Memphis Tigers had hired former Southeastern Louisiana coach Matt Riser as its new baseball coach. Before the Showboats game, intern Liaudwin Seaberry Jr. profiled Greg Reaves, the linebacker who went from a walk-on at South Florida to a pro player. Afterward, senior writer Tim Buckley wrote on what USFL commissioner Daryl “Moose” Johnston said about his impressions of the league’s first season in Memphis and USFL plans to return in 2024. Meanwhile, Don Wade stepped over from the news side to deliver a Father’s Day piece tying dads, baseball and the Memphis Redbirds, and Samuel Hardiman did the same to report on plans for a new Grizzlies practice court at FedExForum. Preps writer John Varlas juggled delivering the start of his series of spring sports awards stories covering both the tragic death of two-sport MUS star Dion Stutts, an Arkansas football commit, and a Memphis 901 FC soccer draw. Columnist John Martin caught up with former Memphis Tigers big man Joey Dorsey. And Tigers basketball beat writer Parth Upadhyaya was busy on a few fronts, including the latest legal news involving Memphis signee Mikey Williams and forward Chandler Lawson’s unexpected entry into — those screeching chalkboard words — the NCAA transfer portal. Here’s a look at some highlight work from the week: — Deputy sports editor/senior writer Tim Buckley
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By Drew Hill
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