FILE–Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP
Memphis guard Ja Morant was named Western Conference Player of the Week by the NBA on Tuesday after coming back from a 25-game suspension to steer the Grizzlies to a few straight wins.
Morant’s first game of the season got here against the Recent Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 19, where the 24-year-old scored 34 points including a game-winning floater on the buzzer to finish a 24-point comeback.
He tallied 20 points and eight assists in his first home game on Dec. 21 vs. Indiana and posted his first double-double of the season with 30 points and 11 assists on Dec. 23 at Atlanta.
Morant averaged 28 points, nine assists and 5.7 rebounds to assist deliver the Grizzlies their first three game winning streak of the 12 months.
Morant was suspended 25 games without pay in June after the league found he had displayed a firearm in a automobile in a live-streamed video on May 13.
The 2-time All-Star was previously suspended for eight games in March after he appeared in one other social media video holding a firearm at a nightclub.
League commissioner Adam Silver called his behavior “reckless and irresponsible” on the time of the suspension and said he nervous that his young fans could seek to emulate him.
Morant took accountability for his actions after each suspension was announced, apologizing to the NBA, the Grizzlies and the town of Memphis.
The Grizzlies have struggled mightily without their explosive young star this season. The team is currently 9-19, good for thirteenth within the Western Conference.
