Ja Morant addressed the media for the first time since his return from his eight-game suspension and is pledging to make a positive internal change. According to ESPN, the athlete spoke about his methods of managing stress by entering a counseling program and stated that he is currently in a “better space mentally.”
Ja asserted that alcohol abuse wasn’t the catalyst for his decision to seek counseling. Morant’s comments refer to a statement made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver before his suspension, claiming that the Memphis Grizzlies player appeared to be in an “intoxicated state” during the Instagram live, where he brandished a firearm.
“[I] took that time to better myself, get in a better space mentally. It’s an ongoing process, a continued process for me. Obviously, I’ve been there for two weeks, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely better. So that’s an ongoing process for me that I’ve still been continuing since I’ve come out,” he expressed. “I’ve made mistakes in the past that cause a lot of negative attention — not only to me, but my family as well, my team, the organization — and I’m completely sorry for that. So my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible, more smarter, and don’t cause any of that no more.”
“I don’t have an alcohol problem, never had an alcohol problem,” Morant added. “I went [to Florida] for counseling to learn how to manage stress, cope with stress in a positive way instead of ways I’ve tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes.”
Concluding his discussion with the press, the 23-year-old phenom revealed that he was nervous about the fan’s response to his return to the court. The South Carolina-born basketball star stated that the thought of potential comments from the crowd makes him admittedly “uncomfortable.”
“It’s a lot, man, a lot of people don’t know what’s going on — not in my shoes right now with everything that’s been going on as of late. Obviously, I take responsibility for decisions I’ve made that pretty much hurt me to the core.”
“It not only affected me, but it affected everyone around me — my family, this organization, my teammates — and caused me not to be out there on the floor. Which, one thing I love to do the most is play basketball,” he said earnestly. “So it’s a lot, but as I said before, it’s an ongoing process with everything I’ve been doing the past two weeks, and I’m going to continue to do that to get through everything I need to be healthy.”
Ja Morant is set to return to the court on Wednesday (March 22) during a home game against the Houston Rockets.