Ja Morant's suspension might cost him up to $50 million / News - Basketnews.com

Ja Morant's 25-game suspension from the NBA will incur major financial losses for the player in the form of contract, bonus money and sponsorships.

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Memphis Grizzliespoint guard Ja Morantwas suspended for the first 25 games for the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA Season. In addition to the suspension, Morant will have to finish a program set forth by the League.

Ja Morant

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In a statement from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, it's specified that the player will "be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant, 23, was suspended from Grizzles team activities May 14 after a social media video post went viral showing him with a gun. The NBA had already suspended Morant for eight games last season for waving around a gun in a Denver nightclub.

Last year, Morant signed a five-year rookie maximum extension that increase his income to $33.5 million for season 2023-24. But now, as a consequence of doing the same mistake twice, his salary will be around $25.9 million.

For his 25-game suspension without pay, Ja Morant will lose $7.6 million. The first time he showed his gun in the Instagram video, the economic sanction wasn't that severe, with Memphis' guard losing $668,659, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst estimated that we're looking at almost $50 million in losses.

"He’s going to have no pay for these 25 games, no pay for the eight games he already had this last year, and there’s no doubt in my mind he would have been All-NBA had he not had this incident last season," Windhorst told 'First Take.'

"He didn’t make the All-NBA team. That cost him $40 million in bonus money. It might even be closer to $60 million, including lost business from sponsorships."

If Morant is going to lose some serious money, it's probably not going to be from Nike, which released a statement Friday in response to the suspension, siding with the high-flying star "on and off the court."

"Nike is pleased that Morant is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court," the shoe company said in a statement.

Five days after the second video of Morant's gun hit the Internet, Nike quietly removed all of his signature sneakers from its website, so many expected him to receive the Kyrie Irving treatment. Less than two weeks later, however, the 'Hunger' edition of Morant's Ja 1 exclusive shoe went on sale as scheduled. It sold out in just a few minutes.

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