The Memphis Grizzlies player says in the new interview that he 'never had an alcohol problem' after entering a counseling program in Florida following his controversial Instagram Live session.
- Mar 22, 2023
AceShowbiz - Ja Morant is setting the record straight. The two-time All-Star has vehemently denied having an alcohol problem after he entered a counseling program in Florida following the gun incident.
On Tuesday, March 21, the 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies player told reporters that he does not have a problem with his alcohol consumption. "I don't have an alcohol problem, never had an alcohol problem," so he declared.
"I went there for counseling, to learn how to manage stress and cope with stress in a positive way," Ja Morant further explained. "Instead of ways I've tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes."
Ja Morant went on adding, "[The] only problem with me right now is just getting into a space mentally that I'm very comfortable in and I feel good at. That's why I made the decision to take time away and go to counseling." He highlighted, "That helped me learn a lot of things."
The interview arrived after Ja Morant returned to the Grizzlies following his eight-game NBA suspension. Grizzlies initially sidelined him on March 4, announcing he would miss at least two games after the gun incident. The NBA later gave him an eight-game suspension, counting five games he had missed already as time served.
The suspension came after Ja Morant was seen in an Instagram Live video displaying a gun at a Colorado nightclub earlier this month. After the NBA launched an investigation, the Glendale (Co.) Police announced that "there was not enough available evidence to charge anyone with a crime."
Ja Morant then entered a counseling program in Florida for a few days. More recently, he detailed his treatment in a recent interview with ESPN's Jalen Rose. "Me, personally, I feel mentally good that I haven't been in many years. I'm in a space where I'm very comfortable. I was constantly talking to therapists. I've been doing Reiki treatment. I've been doing anxiety breathing, different stuff to help me manage that and release all that stuff from my body," he shared.
Ja Morant also insisted that the gun wasn't his. "The gun wasn't mine," the basketballer declared. He continued, "It's not who I am. I don't condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions." He went on noting, "I made a bad mistake and I can see the image I painted over myself with my recent mistakes."
