Ja Morant, the NBA superstar who was the subject of a Washington Post story earlier this week detailing a troubling series of off-court incidents, went viral early Saturday morning when an Instagram Live video surfaced in which he appears to be flashing a gun at a strip club.
In the video, Morant, an All-Star guard on the Memphis Grizzlies, appeared to be wearing the diamond pendant that he was gifted by Nike at the NBA All-Star Game in February — though it is unclear exactly when the video is from as Instagram Live videos delete when they are concluded.
On Wednesday, the Washington Post published an extensive story based on several issues Morant has had off the court.
In an incident that was previously covered, Morant was accused of repeatedly punching a 17-year-old boy in the head after a dispute in a pickup basketball game at Morant’s house.
Morant, 23, claimed self defense in the incident, as the boy had thrown a basketball at his head before the NBA star started swinging.
The outlet also uncovered a previously unreported detail, in which the boy told police that Morant went into his house and later reemerged with a gun in his waistband.
Morant filed a police report of his own on the incident, accusing the boy, a top Memphis-area basketball prospect, of threatening to return to the home and “light this place up like fireworks.”
The story also reported an incident in which a head of security at a mall said Morant “threatened” him and that a member of Morant’s crew pushed him.
Morant’s agent, Jim Tanner, called the Washington Post report “irresponsible and defamatory.”
After the story was widely circulated, Morant drew criticism for doing a gun celebration in a game against the Rockets.
Morant was also investigated by the NBA earlier this season after members of the Pacers accused associates of Morant of pointing a red laser at them following a confrontation.
The NBA said in a statement its investigation into the alleged incident with the Pacers “could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon.”
In a matchup between the two top-ranked teams in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies lost in Denver 113-97 on Friday night.
Morant had 27 points and 10 assists in the losing effort.