Morant told reporters, “It was definitely tough, some horrible days.” “It was difficult, but like I mentioned at the beginning, the support I had during this process was very helpful. At the moment, it was pretty much all I had to rely on. I have, of course, played basketball for the majority of my life. Something that helps me heal. It becomes more difficult when it is removed, obviously. However, I was surrounded by supportive individuals, including my family, the organisation, and other partners that assisted me in the process.”
Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of this season in June after he was caught displaying a gun several times. The first incident happened in March when Morant was spotted at a strip club south of Denver with a revolver in his hand. After receiving an eight-game suspension, Morant checked himself into a Florida counselling programme. After the Grizzlies were eliminated from the playoffs on May 13, Morant once more showed off a gun on a livestream.
On Friday, Morant remarked that his time away from basketball had given him a new outlook.
“I feel like I’m not done yet learning myself or learning new things,” Morant stated. “However, I can understand why the events that transpired happened.” However, like I previously stated, I can’t sit here and say I regret anything because, ultimately, I feel like it improved me.”
Additionally, Morant discussed his feelings of “guilt” regarding his part in Memphis’ early-season collapse. The Grizzlies have struggled as expected without Morant in the starting lineup, sitting 13th in the Western Conference with a 6-17 record.
At that, there is undoubtedly some guilt, according to Morant. Since nobody enjoys losing and I’m obviously not on the floor, it’s on to us to go out there and win. Even though I’m not on the floor, I obviously accept full responsibility for that. I took decisions that prevented me from joining my troops in battle.”
Even though the talented point guard hasn’t played in any games, he has watched footage to see how the squad has been playing without him.
For me, it’s essentially been cinema study, Morant stated. Since I’ve known most of the players for a while and we have some new players, it goes without saying that as the point guard, I have to get to know them and figure out where they want to be on the floor. Regarding our current situation, I have no concerns at all.”
