Ja Morant's suspension is over, allowing the All-Star to rejoin the Grizzlies on the court
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Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant's 25-game suspension stemming from his social media antics with handguns ended Tuesday, and coach Taylor Jenkins inserted the two-time All-Star back into the starting lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant's 25-game suspension stemming from his social media antics with handguns ended Tuesday, and coach Taylor Jenkins inserted the two-time All-Star back into the starting lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
"We get one of our leaders back, one of our core players. The team's fired up. I'm fired up," Jenkins said. "He's put in a lot of work since the start of the season, been around the team as much as he could.
"Super excited to see him go out there and just have fun. That's what he and I have talked about," Jenkins added. "Build chemistry with your teammates and just enjoy this opportunity to be back out on the floor."
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James showed his support ahead of Morant's expected return by posting on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, "Welcome back!! Go be GREAT again!!" He addressed it to No. 12, Morant's jersey.
Under the terms of his suspension, Morant was able to practice and travel with the Grizzlies and take part in morning shootarounds. But he was not permitted to be in an arena with his team during games.
Jenkins didn't put a specific cap on Morant's playing time in his first few games back, but said, "he's not going to play crazy minutes."
"I'm going to be mindful of how many minutes he plays early on as he gets his game legs underneath him," Jenkins said, adding that he just wants Morant to use his time on the court to focus on making "winning plays," and "have fun doing that."
