The suspension for conduct detrimental to the league covers the first 25 games of the 2023-2024 regular season and includes conditions for reinstatement. 

He is ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. 

“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he 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.”

‘Sorry for failing you’

Morant took accountability for his actions last month and released another statement after the suspension was announced, apologizing to the NBA, the Grizzlies, and the city of Memphis.

“I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better,” Morant said in a statement. 

“To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”

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“I’m spending the off-season and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making,” he said. “I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back… I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you (teammates) at the beginning of the season.”

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man that what I’ve been showing you,” Morant added.

$10-million suspension

The Grizzlies offered the following statement shortly after the suspension was announced:

“We respect the League’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode. Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”

Based on his $33.5 million salary for 2023-2024, the suspension will cost Morant approximately $10.2 million.

The video, which was on Instagram Live, featured Morant waving a gun while sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car while listening to rap music. The clip was released on May 13, and the Grizzlies suspended the guard from all team activities the following day.

It was the second time in three months that Morant was caught with a firearm on social media. He previously was suspended eight games and sought counseling after a March 4 incident in which he filmed himself holding a gun at a Denver strip club following a 113-97 loss to the Nuggets.

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Ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver said the “history of prior acts” and “the individual player’s history” would be taken into account when the league made its decision on Morant’s punishment.

Morant, 23, is coming off his fourth season with Memphis after the Grizzlies selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. 

A two-time All-Star, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 61 games (59 starts) in 2022-2023. – Rappler.com

Through her attorney, the woman sent demand letters to the fighter, the NBA and the Miami Heat seeking a settlement in lieu of legal action, per the report.

“We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation,” the Heat said in a statement. “Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.”

In the letters, the woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, contends security for both the team and the NBA forced the woman into a restroom where McGregor and his security guard were waiting. Then, Mitchell wrote, McGregor “aggressively kissed” the woman as security kept everyone out of the restroom.

McGregor then forced her into oral sex and as he attempted further sexual activity, the woman elbowed him repeatedly and was able to escape, per Mitchell. She reported the alleged assault to police in Florida on June 11.

Representatives for McGregor told TMZ the allegations are false.

“Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated,” they added.

UFC officials told TMZ they were aware of the allegations.

“UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements,” per the promotion’s statement.

McGregor sat courtside at the game on June 9 and took part in a halftime promotional act in which he punched the Heat mascot several times. 

Burnie, the mascot, had to go to the emergency room and was sent home with pain medication, USA Today reported. – Rappler.com

In fact, if a trade is the agreed-upon path, all talks have to involve Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, per the reports. Beal is the only current player in the league to have a true no-trade clause in his contract.

The Wizards and new president Michael Winger inherited the clause as well as the remainder of Beal’s five-year, $251 million deal he signed last July.

The Miami Heat have emerged as a top potential suitor for Beal, per the reports.

Part of a decision on a roster overhaul rests with Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma, who both have player options for the 2023-24 season. Both can become unrestricted free agents if they decline the options.

Beal, 29, averaged 23.2 points and 5.4 assists in just 50 games last season. He was limited by injuries and a stint in the health and safety protocol.

Beal has spent his entire 11-year career with Washington, averaging 22.1 points in 695 career games (661 starts) since being selected No. 3 overall in the 2012 draft. – Rappler.com

After not winning the NBA MVP award for the first time in three seasons, Jokic instead helped Denver earn the ultimate team prize while landing the Finals MVP honor. The Nuggets never lost more than twice in any playoff series and finished with 10 victories in their last 11 postseason games.

Michael Porter Jr. put up 16 points and 13 rebounds, Jamal Murray had 14 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 11 as the top seed from the Western Conference finished off the eighth seed from the Eastern Conference in the best-of-seven series.

Denver advanced to the ABA Finals in 1976, joined the NBA the following season, then lost in the Western Conference finals four times before making the title series this season.

Jimmy Butler rallied late to score 21 points for Miami, while Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds and Max Strus and Kyle Lowry each had 12 points.

The Heat knocked off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and the second-seeded Boston Celtics on their way to representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals.

The Heat became just the second eighth seed to reach an NBA Finals, joining the 1999 New York Knicks, who lost the title series to the San Antonio Spurs.

Perhaps struggling with the magnitude of the moment, the Nuggets shot just 1 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half and 3 of 8 from the free-throw line. However, they trailed just 51-44 at halftime before leading by as many as three points in the third quarter. Denver entered the fourth quarter trailing 71-70.

A jump hook by Jokic early in the final period gave the Nuggets a 72-71 lead with 11:39 to play before both teams ramped up their defensive intensity. After neither side scored for a 2:35 stretch, Jamal Murray’s 14-foot pullup jumper gave Denver an 81-76 advantage with 6:43 left.

A Jokic runner put the Nuggets up 83-76 with 4:43 remaining as the Heat opened the fourth quarter 2 of 16 from the field.

Butler came to life in the final period, scoring the team’s last 13 points, including three free throws that were awarded even though he kicked out his right leg and caught an opponent on a 3-point attempt. However, Miami did not score over the final 1:57.

A Bruce Brown rebound and putback basket put the Nuggets up 90-89 with 1:31 remaining, and a steal followed by two free throws from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 24.7 seconds left gave Denver a 92-89 lead.

Butler missed a 3-point attempt with 17.1 seconds remaining, and Brown sealed the title with two free throws for a 94-89 advantage with 14.3 seconds left. – Rappler.com

Nikola Jokic bagged the Finals MVP after averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the series. 

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Preview

MANILA, Philippines – End or extend?

As the 2023 NBA Finals heads back to the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado for Game 5 on Monday, June 12 (Tuesday, June 13, Manila time), the Denver Nuggets are in prime position to dispatch the Miami Heat and bag their first-ever NBA title. 

The Nuggets are coming off a resounding 108-95 win over the Heat in Game 4, thanks to the efforts of unlikely heroes Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown. 

With their superstar center Nikola Jokic in foul trouble and high-scoring guard Jamal Murray struggling from the field, Gordon took on the scoring cudgels for the Nuggets and sizzled for a team-best 27 points, including a surprising 3-of-4 clip from beyond the arc.

Brown, meanwhile, delivered when it counted the most and poured in 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to help Denver fend off Miami’s comeback attempts and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Miami, on the other hand, leaned on its superstar forward Jimmy Butler and All-Star big man Bam Adebayo anew as starters Gabe Vincent and Max Strus failed to make their presence felt for the second straight outing. 

With their backs now against the wall, watch out for Butler, who has yet to deliver a statement game in this series, to go all-out and take care of business for the Heat as they seek to avoid elimination and return to Miami for Game 6.

In order to stay alive, the Heat should brace for huge scoring performances from Jokic and Murray – who combined for only 38 points on 13-of-36 shooting in Game 4 after both recording 30-point triple-doubles in Game 3.

Will the Nuggets close out the series or will the Heat live to fight another day?

Game time is 8:30 am.

– Rappler.com

Please refresh this page for live updates.

Love missed the Heat’s flight to the Mile High City and flew on his own Sunday to watch film and handle media responsibilities, one day before Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, June 12 (Tuesday, June 13, Manila time).

“Everybody is happy and healthy,” Love said during a press conference. “… Was able to make it in for our film session.”

“Got a little bit of sleep, so today will be good to get up and down, get acclimated here and get some treatments, get some rest and be ready to roll.”

Love didn’t say if the child was a boy or a girl.

The Heat trail the Denver Nuggets 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Only one team has ever recovered from such a deficit to win the Finals – the Cleveland Cavaliers, who beat the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

Interestingly, Love was a key member of that Cleveland squad.

“Naturally when your back is up against the wall you start to look for answers, solutions,” said Love, a five-time All-Star. “But we’re a team that as you know has been super resilient. We understand that it’s every possession, it’s one game.”

“I know that’s something that is cliche and everybody says but again, we feel like if we come out, have a good start tomorrow, play extremely hard and give ourselves a chance and take it back to Miami, that is right where we want to be.”

Love, 34, joined the Heat in February after reaching a buyout with Cleveland.

He averaged 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 21 games (17 starts) for Miami in the regular season, and he is contributing 7.1 points and 5.7 boards in 19 postseason games (17 starts). – Rappler.com

The Nuggets took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series with a 108-95 road victory over the Miami Heat. The series shifts back to Denver for Game 5 on Monday, June 12 (Tuesday, June 13, Manila time) and there are plenty of those who are anticipating a crowning achievement.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone is not one of them.

“Yeah, just understand that we haven’t done anything,” Malone said. “I told our guys, the first thing I said (after the Game 4 victory), ‘We’re not celebrating. It’s a good win. We’ve done our job. But we’re not celebrating like we’ve done anything yet.'”

Malone’s plan over the weekend, in addition to figuring out how to get past the Heat one more time, was to have his players ignore all media – social and otherwise – and keep their minds on the task at hand as if it were still significantly out of reach.

“Don’t listen to everybody telling you how great you are because we haven’t done a damn thing yet,” Malone said. “We have to win another game to be world champions, and we’re going to do that by simply taking it one quarter at a time.”

“We stay true to our identity, we’ll give ourselves a great chance to do that.”

For everybody outside of the Nuggets’ inner circle, there is plenty of evidence that their time is now. If not in Game 5 then in 6 or 7 during the coming days.

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic has nearly averaged a triple-double for the entire playoff run with 30.1 points, 13.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists. In the Finals he has scored 30.8 points with 13.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists.

Aaron Gordon had what was perhaps his best game in a Nuggets uniform during Game 5 with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting (3-of-4 from three-point range).

Gordon also has kept Heat star Jimmy Butler in check on the defensive end. Butler has averaged 21.8 points per game in the series, although he has been more productive on the offensive end in the last two games. But as his scoring output has ticked up in the past two games, his rebound and assist numbers have dropped.

The eighth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference doesn’t seem to have enough offense to keep up with the Nuggets. All three of the Heat’s defeats in the series have been by double digits, although they will take solace in the fact that their lone victory – 111-108 in Game 2 – came at Denver.

“Same thing it’s always been, it’s one game at a time,” Butler said. “Now we are in a must-win situation every single game, which we’re capable of. Some correctible things we’ve got to do, but it’s not impossible. We’ve got to go out there and do it. We’ve got three to get.”

Bam Adebayo has averaged 22.3 points and 12.5 rebounds during the four games of the NBA Finals, up from his averages of 17.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in the playoffs. But Miami has been held to 95 points or fewer in all three defeats.

While the Heat’s Tyler Herro appears close to returning from a hand injury that occurred in the opening game of the playoffs, the shooting guard still has not contributed to the cause, leaving 20.1 points per game from the regular season on the bench.

“All we are going to focus on is getting this thing back to … Miami and things can shift very quickly,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s going to be a gnarly game in Denver that is built for the competitors that we have in our locker room.” – Rappler.com

Although the Heat are facing elimination as they head to Denver to play Game 5 on Monday, June 12 (Tuesday, June 13, Manila time), Spoelstra remained confident that his charges would extend the series to Game 6 back in Miami.

“All we’re focused on – I told the guys, feel whatever you want to feel tonight. It’s fine. You probably shouldn’t sleep tonight any amount of time. I don’t think anybody will,” Spoelstra said following the Heat’s 108-95 setback on Friday, June 9 (Saturday, June 10, Manila time).

“We have an incredibly competitive group. We’ve done everything the hard way, and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now, again. All we are going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. Get this thing back to Miami. And things can shift very quickly.”

The Heat know that all too well, especially since they saw their 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference final go by the boards. They righted the ship by winning Game 7, however.

“You take it one game at a time,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “We’ve seen a team come back from 3-0 firsthand. So we just have to believe, and one game at a time.”

Jimmy Butler had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Adebayo amassed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. Kyle Lowry scored 13 points while Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson added 12 apiece for Miami.

The Heat are still holding out hope that they can become the second team to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals.

“It’s the same thing that it’s always been – it’s a game at a time,” Butler said. “Now we’re in a must-win situation every game, which we’re capable of. We’ve got to correct some things, but it’s not impossible. We got three to get.” – Rappler.com

In a fighter’s robe and oversized gloves, Burnie was swiftly knocked to the ground by McGregor’s left hook. While Burnie remained on the floor, McGregor proceeded to land a straight punch on the mascot’s headgear.

The clash was set up for McGregor to promote a pain-relief spray. He is seen trying to spray Burnie, who was dragged from the court by his feet by staff.

According to The Athletic, the man portraying Burnie received pain medication, was discharged, and is currently in good condition.

The last time McGregor competed was in 2021, when he broke his leg in a fight with Dustin Poirier.

The Heat’s 108-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets put the Nuggets in a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, with the chance to secure the NBA championship in Game 5 on Monday.

– Rappler.com

Sotto said he would turn his focus to the World Cup once he concludes a potential Summer League stint in the United States as he continues his bid to become the first homegrown Filipino to reach the NBA.

Hoping to earn a Summer League roster spot, Sotto recently participated in mini camps organized by the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks.

The 7-foot-3 big man will attend another mini camp put together by the New York Knicks.

“Summer League won’t be a conflict in terms of scheduling before the World Cup,” Sotto told PlayItRight TV. “I think there’ll be time.”

The Summer League in Las Vegas will run from July 7 to 17, meaning Sotto can join the national team in training for more than five weeks before the World Cup – co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia – on August 25.

Sotto, though, is expected to miss Gilas Pilipinas’ training camp in Europe, where it will face teams from Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania in a series of tune-up games.

“Right now, I’m focusing on these mini camps. I’m just about to focus all in on the Summer League, try my best to make it to the NBA,” he said.

“After the Summer League, I’m pretty much focused on the World Cup.”

Sotto, the tallest player in the Philippines’ 21-man World Cup pool, said it is a “big deal” to represent the country in the global hoops showdown.

“As a 21-year-old basketball player, I think it’s going to be the biggest opportunity, biggest challenge, the highest level that I’m about to play so far in my career,” said Sotto.

“The best of the best in the world will be there playing,” he added. “It gives me chills every time I think about it. Just very excited.” – Rappler.com